Passing Through Time
by Lets Do That Again
Summary: The Hero of Time, savior of Hyrule (twice over) and Termina, is rudely torn from a peaceful afterlife into a war-torn, future Hyrule...He is less than pleased.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Rude Awakenings

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Deep in Faron Woods, a figure lay peacefully under a large tree. A butterfly floated by the figure- a young boy actually, with fair skin and blonde hair- landing on his nose. The child scrunched his nose, trying to shake the insect off subconsciously. When that did not work, the boy reluctantly woke up, and swept the butterfly away. The boy stretched, yawning as he did so. Smacking his lips, he reached to his side to grab something, frowning when his hands came up empty. He lazily turned his head, and then widened his eyes in shock when he saw his arm. He quickly stared down at his body, patting it down with the hope that it was an illusion. It was not.

" _I am a child!"_ he frantically thought, _"Why am I a child?!"_ Looking at his surroundings only increased his growing anxiety. The last he remembered, he lay in bed with his wife in the afterlife.

Then, he took a long, deep breath. _"Calm yourself Link…Panic will not help the situation at hand"_. He took stock of where he was and what he had on him. The woods felt magical, like Kokiri forest in his youth, but weaker. As though the inherent magic of the land was stoppered at the source.

He wore an unfamiliar purple tunic (lacking, to his dismay, a matching hat), with a pouch on his belt. Opening the pouch, he blinked at the sight of the masks he collected in Termina; even the Fierce Deity's mask.

Searching deeper into the satchel revealed a bow (but no quiver), a boomerang, a bomb bag (with bombs), a longshot, a hammer, and, most surprisingly, the Ocarina of Time. Upon seeing the royal heirloom, coupled with the mask of a god, Link was convinced that someone of great power brought him here.

He scowled, _"If this is another 'divine prank' someone is losing a limb"_. He would take no part in whatever scheme he was summoned for. He had done his duty, twice over in fact. Moved past his regrets from his mortal life. He had finally reunited with his loved ones after centuries of purgatory. He did not need to deal with whatever plot was occurring.

Just then, he felt a dark, vaguely familiar presence heading his direction. He quickly scrambled up the tree he was next to, to avoid whatever was on its way. He waited, high in the trees. The dark presence came into view, and what he saw sent Link into a spiral of panic, fear, and worry.

The Skull Kid, wearing Majora's mask, looked behind him. "Stupid girl, ruining my fun. So what if I kicked a few cucco 's around, the feathery demons deserved it, right guys?" He turned the two fairies, Tatl and Tael, his closest friends, who merely floated silently in front of him. Skull Kid burst into laughter, "Good one Tael! They probably are her only friends!"

Suddenly, he stopped laughing, tilting his head to the side, "…Is someone there…?" Link tensed, and pressed himself against the trunk of the tree. Slowly, the Skull Kid floated around the tree, scanning his surroundings. Then, from the bushes to his left, a couple of cuccos leapt out.

The Skull Kid scoffed, pulling out an ocarina, "I would have thought you stupid birds learned your lesson". He blew a quick note into the ocarina, and Tatl and Tael were surrounded in bright lights, and rammed into the cuccos, sending them flying into the distance. Skull Kid snickered, "Come on you two, might as well go see what the crazy lady wants to yell about now". With a twirl, Skull Kid flew to the north, Tatl and Tael close behind.

Link's mind was racing, _"What is going on? How could Majora possibly have power, I thought it was all dispersed? And why on earth would Skull Kid wear it?"_ He shook his head, _"No, something is wrong, under no circumstance would he ever go near that mask again, nor would Tatl and Tael be with him while he was under its influence"._ He started to climb down the tree, _"No matter, my friends are in danger, and I need to help them"_. He reached the ground, and started to follow Skull Kid, _"Hold on, he mentioned meeting someone…who could it be?"_ He pulled out the Fierce Deity mask, staring into its blank white eyes. He could put it on; destroy whatever stood in his way. _"No…this requires a more cautious approach"_. He swapped out the mask for his Keaton mask, securing it on his face (after all, if it worked for Kafei, it would work for him), and turned the opposite direction, to find this girl that ruined Skull Kid's 'fun'.

 **Line Break**

As he walked deeper and deeper into the woods, he felt divine magic along with the dark magic. He surmised that it must have been this era's hero, or the current incarnation of Princess Zelda. Although, considering how powerful the magic felt, it was most likely both together. _"Strange,"_ he thought, _"for what purpose would the princess be away from the castle…refuge perhaps?"_

He heard some bushes rustle from his left, and quickly hid behind a tree. He cursed whatever being sent him here, he did not have a proper weapon to defend himself with (except perhaps for the hammer, but that would be too slow), and he did not want to transform into another race at the his relief, the figure that emerged from the foliage was a young woman in a green cloak, a gold medallion hanging from a chain on her neck, and…crossbows attached to her boots.

The girl frowned, turning her head from side-to-side. She pouted, "Ahh, I was sure the way out of the forest was this way". She grabbed the medallion, and opened it up (Link deduced it was actually a compass), pulling out a map as she did so, muttering to herself "Did I make a wrong turn?"

Link decided to approach the girl. After all, her medallion bore the insignia of the royal family; she must be important to someone. Plus she has a map and compass, so at the very least he could gather his bearings and quietly leave her should the need arise. He moved forward slighlty, a twig snapping underfoot. With practiced ease, the girl dropped the map and compass, grabbing and aiming her crossbows faster than most could follow, "Who's there?" She asked, her eyes narrowed and hard.

Link inwardly nodded in approval, she had good reflexes; outwardly, he held up his hands in a defensive manner, and slowly stepped towards her.

Upon seeing Link, in his all his four foot six inch glory, she lowered her crossbows, her eyes softening considerably. "Ooh," she cooed, "Sorry kiddo, didn't mean to scare you".

Link resisted the urge to snort. He cleared his throat, mustering a scared façade, "I-it's okay miss. C-can you h-help me? I'm l-lost".

The girl smiled, and brought her hands to her hips, "Of course. That's what the Legendary Hero does!" she exclaimed, her head titled slightly to look towards the sky. "My name is Linkle. What's your name little guy, and why are you wearing that mask?"

Link was glad he wore the mentioned mask; otherwise she would see that a small frown on his face. Whoever this girl was, she was obviously raised on the belief that she was the Hero reborn. However, his expert sensed peered into her soul, and she simply did not have the Soul of the Hero chosen by the gods…still, just because she was not chosen by the gods did not mean she could not be a great Hero in her own right.

He then remembered that she asked for a name. He gulped, "My name is…Shade…And I, uh, I like masks".

She nodded, a smile once more on her face, "Shade…that's a nice name! And a cool mask too!" She turned her head, "But, where are your parents?"

Link did not have to fake these emotions, "I-I never knew them".

Linkle gasped, covering her mouth with a hand, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Shade waved his hands on front of him, "It's, it's fine. But I am lost," he looked down at his feet, "My village is, it was-I" he started to stammer.

Linkle moved forward, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, it's okay," she said soothingly. "I'll help you find your village, ok?" Link nodded shyly. "Now," Linkle straightened, "Do you know where your village is".

Link feigned looking around, while in reality he pinpointing the holy energy he felt. He was able to determine it was a mile or two west of them. He pointed in that direction, "Over there, I think".

Linkle looked down that direction. After a moment of concentration, she broke out in another cheerful smile, "All right! Let's get going!" She skipped ahead a few steps, then turned around, "Come on Shade! It'll be alright".

Link walked forward with a smile. Linkle was certainly a perky child. Still, the sooner he could banish Majora, and possibly (definitely) strong-arm whatever or whoever summoned him into sending him back to the afterlife where he belonged, the better.

 **A/N:** **So, I just beat Hyrule Warriors (all around good game), and I was a little, I don't know, disappointed I suppose, that Young Link was shafted as a character. Don't get me wrong, his move set is cool, phenomenal even (of course, it would be better if his other transformation masks were available as weapons, but I digress). Anyway, I just started to think, what if, in response to the massive holes Cia was tearing in space-time, the titular Hero of Time was brought in to assist the current era's heroes. I don't know if this will go anywhere, at the moment this is just an idea that wouldn't leave my head. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **(P.S. Continuing the story).**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Eco-Power!

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

Link felt his eye twitch, "Yes Miss Linkle, pretty sure".

Linkle sent Link a soft smile, "Hey now! How many times do I have to tell you, its just Linkle".

" _Maybe when I can finally be rid of you and your damnable cuccos,_ " Link thought darkly, face twisting into a grimace. Outwardly however, he still wore Keaton mask.

His impromptu trip was really starting to grate his nerves. First, a large flock of cuccos appeared out of nowhere. As it turned out, Linkle was a cucco farmer, and apparently her 'sweet little babies' couldn't bear to be apart from her. In turn, it was much harder for Link to try and slip away, as anywhere from one to one dozen pairs of eyes were on him constantly.

Second, what was supposed to be a one or two mile trip turned into a long hike through the forest, as ravines (which must of just randomly appeared in the centuries following his ascendance to the afterlife) prevented them from just taking a straight path to this era's Hero and Princess.

Link turned his head skyward. On the bright side, there was no moon poised to crash down and decimate the land.

 _*Chirp Chirp_ _*_

Link looked down at his feet, where a number of chicks were clambering on his boots. He let out an exasperated sigh, but nonetheless bent down to pet them.

"Wow Shade," Linkle said, "The chicks really like you! You must be a natural born cucco famer".

Link allowed himself a small smile. One of the things he enjoyed most from his previous life was tending to the cucco flock on his farm, having long since made peace with the surprisingly vengeful birds.

He stood up, ignoring the indignant chirps below him, "We, uh, we should keep moving". With a nod, Linkle led them forward once more.

They walked for another hour or so; a straight path thankfully, nothing too large blocking their path. Soon enough, Linkle stopped, an inquisitive expression on her face, "Hey…I think I've been here before". She looked around for a bit, "…I have!"

Link rolled his eyes, _"This helps how?"_

"This means I can lead us back to my village, and help you from there!" She added cheerfully, pointing to her left

Link bit back a curse. That was not even close to the direction he wanted to go. He scanned his surroundings. There was a drop a few meters ahead. He considered his options.

"… _The things I do for my friends…"_ He cleared his throat, "Uh, Linkle?"

"Yes Shade?"

Setting aside his dignity (with great difficulty) Link pressed his legs together and placed his hands over his crotch, "I have to go".

Linkle blinked, "Oh! Uh, sure" She prudently turned away from Link, and he moved ahead.

Finding a nice stump near the drop, Link started to fiddle with his belt. He 'missteped', and with a (fake, almost bored) cry, tumbled down the hill.

Linkle ran forward, mindful not to fall herself, "Shade!"

Link continued to roll down, eventually stopping when he hit a large tree at the bottom. He cursed, heavily, under his breath as he stood up.

"Shade! Are you okay?"

Link looked up at Linkle, "Yeah," he rubbed his shoulder, "I'm okay!"

"Stay there!" She replied, "I'm heading down". Carefully, she slid down the large hill, stopping herself on the odd rock or two down the way to make sure she didn't fall as well.

When Linkle made it down safely, he titled his head down and kicked a pebble around, "I'm sorry I fell…"

Linkle bent down, cooing slightly, "Aww, don't be so down little guy, accidents happen". She looked around, "…Guess we need to find a way back up, huh?"

Link nodded shyly, "Uh-uh," he pointed towards the holy artifacts, "I think that way is safe".

Linkle peered ahead, "Hmm, Looks like you're right". She smiled at him, "Let's go".

 **Line Break**

As they got closer to two pieces of the Triforce, Link was getting more and more on edge. There was a great deal of dark energy in the forest, far more than there should be. Linkle had already killed a few monsters: Mad Scrubs, Wolfos, even the stray Bulbin; but Link was more worried about the possibility of running into a Gohma nest, or a heavily mutated Deku Baba.

Just then, Link and Linkle heard muted screams coming from deeper in the woods, followed shortly what sounded like clanging metal. Both Hylians came to the conclusion that a major battle was underfoot

Linkle repeatedly shifted her gaze between Link and the direction of the sound, a slightly disconcerted look on her face.

Link decided to put her mind at ease, "Linkle, shouldn't you help those people. I mean you are a Hero".

Linkle frowned at Link, "But we need to get you to safety".

Link steeled his nerves, "…But when I'm with you, I feel really safe". He inwardly gagged when Linkle put her hands over her heart and 'awwed' slightly.

Thankfully for Link, she schooled her features once more, "Let's go!" she said as she jogged ahead.

 **Line Break**

Linkle slid to a stop. She recognized this area. It was where she and her cuccos fought that strange imp and his army of Stalchildren. This time however, it was an army of Hylians fighting an equally large army of Bulbins.

Link soon caught up with her. She spared him a glance. "Shade! Stay up here, and don't move!" She pulled out her crossbows, running into the fray, shooting down any bulbin that got in her way.

Her cuccos stayed with Link for a moment, until one rooster cawed loudly, and lead the rest into the fray.

Link stared after the horde of birds, "…Well, that makes my task easier". He took off his Keaton mask, pulling his Deku mask out of his bag. Bracing himself, he put it on.

 **Line Break**

Lana let out a breath as she sent a trio of magic walls into a horde of Bulbin. Ever since Impa, Link, and Sheik arrived with a considerable force of soldiers, the battle was going much more smoothly. Still, her forces were weary after fighting for so long, and though the backup was helpful, their southern flank could use some help.

"What the hell is that?" A nearby captain pointed south.

Lana peered in that direction, and blinked in surprise at the sight of a crossbow wielding girl in green cutting her way through the battlefield, trailed by a large amount of cuccos, which were doing their part to clear out the Bulbin army.

Lana quickly composed herself (she had seen stranger things) and dashed towards the (hopefully helpful) girl. A Bulbin captain quickly gathered its men together in an effort to block her path.

With a smirk, Lana summoned three magic walls each on the left and right of her foes. She quickly hopped between the barriers, landing behind them. She turned around and snapped her fingers, destroying the walls, expelling blue lightning, which fried every Bulbin in the area.

She turned around, smile still on her face. That smile turned into a grimace as she found herself surrounded by Gibdos.

"Watch out!" The green girl from before yelled.

Lana leapt backwards as the girl ran up behind the monsters, reloading her crossbows. With a smirk, she shot twice at the mummies, then leapt forward with a kick, fire spinning around her. She landed just in front of Linkle, charging her crossbows in red and green light, before shooting out bombs (of all things), scattering the undead swordsmen.

Linkle sheathed her crossbows, taking off her hood and holding her hand out to Lana. "Hello there miss, Legendary Hero Linkle at your service!" she chirped cheerfully.

Lana and the nearby soldiers stared at Linkle bug-eyed, "Woah," one of the soldiers whispered, "I didn't know Link had a sister".

"I don't think Link knows he has a sister".

"Hey…I know that girl!" one of them exclaimed.

Linkle looked over Lana's shoulder, "Is that you Pip?"

Lana shook her head slightly, grabbing Linkle's outstretched hand "Hi, I'm Lana, I'm one of the people leading the charge".

Linkle smiled, "Cool! What can I do to help?"

Lana pointed behind her, "I'm currently healing some men in that Great Deku Tree, could you hold of the forces coming from the south?"

Linkle nodded, "Sure…Wait, you can do magic? That's so cool!"

Lana smiled at Linkle's exuberance, "Isn't it?" She then frowned, shooting a ball of blue light at a few Bulbin archers, "But we don't really have time to talk".

Linkle loaded her crossbows, "Right".

 **Line Break**

Impa swept her sword to the side, knocking a Gibdo off a ledge. She sighed, that dark wizard was certainly powerful, summoning powerful monsters like no tomorrow.

She rolled underneath a Bulbin captain's axe, slashing at its feet, after which it toppled onto a couple smaller Bulbin. She grimaced, they needed to beat the wizard into to submission, not only to stem the flow of monsters, but also to try and pinpoint the whereabouts of the princess.

A guttural roar caught her attention, and she turned to glare at a charging Bulbin. She readied her blade, but did not need to attack, as an arrow struck the monster in its chest, causing it to stagger, followed immediately by a flash of green, and a sword embedded in the monster's chest. Proxi fluttered around Link's head, "Wow Link! That was awesome!"

Link merely grinned, pulling his blade out from his foes chest, slashing at the surrounding Bulbins.

Impa nodded at Link, sending a wave of water at a Gibdo, "I see you've found yourself a bow".

Link grunted, "Yeah. I think I killed most of those plants. Too bad Bulbins have thicker heads. How is everyone else?"

Impa shrugged, slamming her sword into the ground, sending Bulbins flying, "The sorceress, Lana, seems to be doing a good job of healing the wounded…and that Sheik fellow is holding her own as well".

Link smirked, "I saw her on my way here," he spun around with his sword, felling multiple foes, "I didn't know music could be so deadly!"

Loud groaning sounded from behind the two. Both leapt backwards, turning around to face a trio of Gibdo. The one in the middle opened its rotting maw, sucking in breath for a paralyzing shriek. The two warriors quickly sidestepped to avoid the blast radius, but found they didn't need to as something fell into the Gibdo's maw, causing it to choke. Several more objects fell around the monsters, exploding with a loud bang and a flash of light, stunning the creatures. Not ones to allow such an advantage to slip by, the duo quickly slashed forwards, cutting the undead foes to ribbons.

Proxi fluttered above Link and Impa's heads, "Why did that happen?"

Link shrugged, "Trick of the wind?"

Impa grunted, hefting her sword, "We don't have time to ponder, we must drive out these beasts!"

 **Line Break**

Link grunted as he landed on a large branch connected to the Great Deku Tree. He looked down on the chaos below. Though he did not want to gain a vested interest in this era's problems, he did drop several Deku nuts on various monsters, allowing the Hylian forces easier kills.

He leaned against the trunk of the large tree, frowning (as well as a Deku could) as he fell back further than he thought. He rubbed the back of his wooden head. As a child, his found out that his Deku form transformed his hat into another bit of wood, which could change into a sort of poisonous wooden mace capable of paralyzing foes. Now he just had green-yellow leaves lying haphazardly on his head, and a trop of leaves sprouting from the top of his head. Link sighed, all he had to do was wait out this battle, figure out where the Skull Kid had disappeared to, and put this whole mess behind him.

" **Link…** " an ancient voice intoned.

Link spun around, that was not a voice he had heard in a long time.

Behind him, the trunk of the tree creaked and groaned, creating an opening in the bark, " **Come hither…my child…** "

Link swallowed (a bit of a strange feeling given his current rigid windpipe) and carefully stepped towards the hole. He gazed down…nothing but darkness lay below. Link grimaced, the last time he saw something like this it ended with a duel between gods. Still, this is the Great Deku Tree, and the wise old guardian would never send one of its children into danger, unless said child was willing. Link stepped back, steeled his nerves, and jumped down the hole.

He fell for a great while. So long that it almost felt like he was floating in darkness. Eventually, light shone from below him. Waiting a few second more, he shot his arms upright, large flowers sprouting from his hands, slowing his descent immensely.

He landed in the middle of a large chamber. Large wooden posts- _roots_ Link realized -were spread throughout the chamber, twisting and turning in various directions. In the center of the room was a root larger than the rest, pulsing with great magical energy.

" **Link…"** the ancient echoed in the vast chamber, " **It is good…to see you…once more…"**

Hesitantly, Link approached the largest root, "G-Great Deku Tree? But, how? You didn't look, well, alive"

The tree groaned, causing the chamber to tremble slightly, " **You are correct…After many centuries…My magic protections have weakened…I sleep in order to conserve energy…"**

Link titled his head, "But why are you speaking to me now?"

" **Your reappearance…Your Spirit…Brings back old memories…Old magic…Now, remove your mask…Let me gaze upon your true face…"**

Link nodded reverently, quickly taking off the mask, transforming into a child once more.

" **Ahhh…Your youthful face reminds me…Of happier times…"** The guardian spirit said in a warm tone.

Link frowned, "What do you mean? You-," he faltered, "…You aren't the same Deku Tree that raised me".

The chamber shuddered, **"Since the Goddess Farore appointed me to watch over these great forests…Many sprouts have grown and withered…But the roots, the heart, the soul…Those have never changed…You are, and always shall be, a child of the forest, my child".**

Link walked up to the main root, rubbing tears from his eyes, "Uh…th-that means a lot, Great Deku Tree". He then set his face in a hard expression, "But now is not the time to reminisce, my friend, the Skull Kid-"

" **Has been possessed by a terrible evil,"** The Great Deku Tree interrupted him. **"I saw what had transpired".**

"Then how?" Link asked, "How did Majora's Mask attach itself to him?"

" **That, Link, is due to the power of a dark sorceress called Cia"**. Some roots shifted, revealing a misty screen, **"Come closer child, so that you might see what transpired".** The screen flickered through multiple images of the forest, before settling on the Skull Kid, sans Majora's Mask, lying on a boulder, looking up at the night sky.

" _ **It has been many weeks weeks since the forest was deprived of its watcher".**_

 **Line Break**

Skull Kid lay on his favorite rock, not a care in the world. All was well in the forest. Monsters stayed away from human settlements, people weren't nearly foolhardy enough to try and enter deep into the forest (save for the occasional child, but those were the fun kind of people). The imp yawned. When he assigned himself the task of watching over the forest, he didn't think it would be this uneventful. "Maybe I should head over to Termina for a bit," he muttered aloud. "Not like I'm really needed right now". Just then, a great flock of birds flew into the sky, cawing distressingly as they sped away.

The Skull Kid groaned, "Me and my big beak". He hopped off the boulder, grabbing him trumpet and lantern, and leapt into the trees.

He quickly found the disturbance (which was fairly easy, as the individuals in question weren't exactly subtle).

Skull Kid blinked at the sight of a large, broad warrior wearing volcanic red armor, a floating specter garbed in purple, and, most curious of all, a woman wearing a gaudy mask, wearing the most impractical getup for forest trekking he had ever seen. Still, just because they looked ridiculous did not mean they weren't here to cause trouble; the fact that the three led a large amount Dinolfos, Lizalfos, and Stalchildren attested to that. He decided to double-check the traps he set for such an occasion.

The red knight growled in distaste, "We have been wandering these woods for hours! And still we have not seen hide or tail of this supposed guardian!"

The specter chuckled, "Perhaps this 'mighty guardian' ran away".

The woman shook her head, "No, the imp is still here".

The knight harrumphed, "How can you tell?"

The woman smiled sweetly, "Because Volga, these woods have been the imps home for centuries. It would not abandon them so easily".

"Just so you know," a high pitched voice coming from the trees set the trio on edge, "'it' is very demeaning. I happen to be a male…Granted I lack the standard body parts…" The voice trailed off.

Volga held out his hand, a spear forming from flames shooting out of his hands, "Show yourself imp!"

"Woah!" the voice cried, "Easy with the fire ya nut!" A 'click' sounded above them, and a large amount of water fell on Volga's body, producing steam from the now aggravated knight. A bucket landing on his head didn't help matters.

The woman decided to speak up before her companion exploded, "Now, now Skull Kid," the imp froze, most did not now what he was anymore. "We don't mean any harm, we just want to have a nice talk".

Skull kid snorted, "Yeah, that's why you brought along the overgrown geckos and undead children…I have an idea, why don't you all just go back to whatever place weirdoes like you like to gather".

The specter clicked its tongue, "Unfortunately for you, we didn't come all this way to leave".

"Oh, that's all right," the sound of ropes snapping filled the air, and large objects hurtled down from the treeline. The mages and knight, along with several dino/lizalfos, dodged out of the way, but the majority of their forces weren't as vigilant, and were quickly crushed by logs. Cia glared overhead, staring at the bright yellow orbs of the Skull Kid staring down at them, "I've been told I can be very persuasive".

 **Line Break**

Outside the Deku tree, the battle was turning in the Hylian's favor. Already several of the Bulbin army's keeps were taken over, providing Hylian forces more chances to recover, and most of the Gibdo were destroyed. Wizzro growled in annoyance, _"Damn it! Those fools are doing better than I thought"._ He floated high in the air, peering at the battlefield. He only had two keeps in his control (not counting the one he was currently using). His gaze turned to the blue sorceress, who was staying close to the Great Deku Tree. An idea struck Wizzro, and he grinned wickedly, gathering energy in his ring. He cackled, "Try this on for size!" and set the grand old tree ablaze.

 **Line Break**

Link frowned as the screen flickered slightly, "Is something wrong?"

" **No,"** the Deku Tree quickly replied, **"Nothing is the matter, continue studying those three"**. Link shrugged, focusing once more on the image, paying special attention Cia.

 **Line Break**

Lana gasped in fright as the guardian tree of the forest crackled and burned, the menacing fire threatening to engulf the resting soldiers. With a quick wave of her spellbook, she dispelled the fire inside the tree, but the tree itself still burned.

Linkle ran up next to her, "Woah! This is terrible!"

Lana pursed her lips, this was too big a job for her to deal with, but perhaps an older, more powerful being…She turned to Linkle, "Linkle! A Great Fairy is said to live here!"

Linkle turned away from the blazing fire, "Really? Do you think she will help?"

Lana nodded, "Check the northeast, I don't think we've searched over there".

Linkle sent a smirk to Lana, "Right! Don't worry, this isn't a problem for a Legendary Hero!" Linkle sped off, shooting down the occasional Bulbin.

 **Line Break**

Link and Impa stared in horror as the mighty tree burst into flames. Proxi hovered anxiously, "Gah! We have to do something! We can't just let the Great Deku Tree burn!"

Impa closed her eyes, focusing her senses, trying to find the source of the fire. The predominant sensation came from the dark wizard, obviously the one who started the blaze. But there was another power, old, dormant. Impa opened her eyes, "A Great Fairy!" She looked at Link, "Hurry, the to East! Find the Great Fairy, she can fix this!"

Link nodded, "Right!" and ran ahead.

He ran for a few minutes, and worried that he missed the Great Fairy's pool. But a large force of Bulbins standing guard in front of a tree convinced him otherwise. He drew his blade, channeling magic into the cool steel. With a mighty yell, he spun around, decimating the enemies in a whirlwind of fury. He ran into the tree, and then skidded to a halt as multiple Bulbin captains glared at him with their beady red eyes. Rolling his shoulders, Link leapt into action. He ducked under an axe swing, slashing at the attackers gut, then quickly spun around to block a large hammer. He struggled under its weight, sliding backwards. The Bulbin grinned as one of its allies ran towards Link, axe held high. Then something that sounded like an arrow flying through the air hit Link's ears, followed by a fleshy 'thunk'. This sound repeated about a dozen more times, and then the charging Bulbin gurgled, and fell over dead, wooden bolts embedded in its back, a silhouetted figure standing at the entryway.

Link found a burst of strength as the Bulbin fell, and he roared, shoving the Bulbin away, slicing its throat. He rolled away from several more bulbins, towards the mysterious figure. He smiled at the person, "Thanks, but I could have handl …" he trailed off when he saw who had saved him, rather, what she looked like.

Linkle gave him a friendly wave, "Hi! That's a neat scarf. I'm-lookout!" She shoved Link to the side, forcing a Bulbin to miss its blow. With a confident grin, Linkle ran forward, and jumped to kick the beast in the chest. It staggered backward, but was caught by its allies. This did not deter Linkle however, who charged up her crossbows, aiming upward as she did so. She fired, releasing a giant bomb, and jumped to meet it at its apex, before slamming her feet on it, where it crashed into the ground, detonating and reducing the remaining Bulbin to ashes.

Link and Proxi stared at Linkle as she admired her handiwork. Link stepped backwards when Linkle suddenly dashed up towards him. "Hi," she said with a wide smile, "I'm Linkle".

Link was dumbstruck, "Uh…I-I'm Link".

Linkle's smile widened, "Hey! We have similar names! Do you think our parents knew each other?"

Proxi decided to intervene, "Uh, we should probably go over to the Great Fairy".

Link and Linkle nodded, running towards the pool. When they reached the edge, Link held out his hand, magical energy spreading out to call to the fairy. He was rewarded by high-pitched, shrieking laughter.

 **Line Break**

Link watched with glee as the screen showed Skull Kid utterly decimating the enemy forces with his foreknowledge of the forest's geography, traps, and cunning.

The Skull Kid laughed as the woman and specter, the latter being called Wizzro as it were, struggled against the net they managed to get trapped in. He quickly teleported away when Volga came roaring however.

The knight scowled at the spot Skull Kid was, before cutting Cia and Wizzro down with a swipe of his spear, "That imp has gotten run away for the last time!"

Cia wiped some mud off of her, "Had I known how resourceful the imp was, I would have decimated the forest and searched for his corpse!"

Wizzro froze as she said that, and then settled his mouth into a crooked grin. "My lady, that is an excellent suggestion". He turned to Volga, who frowned.

Skull Kid gasped for breath as he looked over a few of his puppets. They were mostly undamaged, but a few smoldered due to some lucky fireballs sent but a dinolfos. "Ugh, this has been going on too long," he grimaced, "I should find a ravine, throw all of them down and pray they crumple to death".

A loud, angry roar caught his attention, and he froze in horror as large plumes of smoke rose in the sky. "NO!" he cried, and sped off towards the smoke.

What he saw made him sick. Volga was running around, breathing fire all around him, setting fire to every bit of flora he could. Abandoning self-preservation, Skull Kid rammed into the knight with all his strength, catching Volga off guard, and sending him crashing into some rocks. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his trumpet, and played the Song of Storms, summoning a mighty storm, which quickly went to work in putting out the fires.

Skull Kid sighed in relief, disaster averted. Immediately after, a thin, bony hand appeared from the ground, wrapping around his neck, slamming the Skull Kid against a wall. "I've got you now brat!" Wizzro shouted triumphantly.

Skull Kid scowled, and rapidly pecked at the specter. Wizzro yelped in pain, dropping Skull Kid, who scrambled away. Unfortunately for him, a flash of lighting hid a dark figure emerging from a portal, and Skull Kid rammed into it. He shook his head clear, gazing in horror as a dark shade of an old friend (reincarnation notwithstanding) glared down at him, before reaching down and grabbing the imp's arm.

Skull Kid tried to wriggle free, but another Dark Link appeared and held his other arm. Skull Kid ceased his struggling, and chose to glare at Volga, Cia, and Wizzro, who walked in front of him. "What now," he spat out, "You guys going to give me a spanking?"

Cia smiled cruelly, "No you stupid child, I simply wish to reunite you," she reached into a bag, "with an old friend".

Skull Kid's stomach dropped when the sorceress brought out Majora's Mask, and it dropped further when he felt it brimming with energy as opposed to being an empty husk; but he feigned confidence, "Ooh, so you got a piece of wood, scary".

Cia chuckled darkly, stalking towards Skull Kid, "Do you really think so? Because I think that you know exactly what this is, what it can do, the power it holds".

"Lady, please listen to me," he pleaded, heart-rat increasing exponentially, "I don't know how you got that thing, and I don't care. But for the love of Hyrule, get rid of it!"

Cia smiled coyly, "But that would be such a waste…After all, masks are meant to be worn". She brought the mask closer to Skull Kid, who resumed his struggling with a manic fervor. Then, to the surprise of all but one, red tendrils shot from the mask, and latched onto the Skull Kid's face.

He started to thrash and scream, shaking the Dark Links off of him. Fighting for control, the two slammed into several trees and boulders, Skull Kid clawing at the Mask, the Mask sending crackling purple energy into the Skull Kid. Soon however, the Skull Kid's struggles stopped, and his defiant screams turned into strangled cries; until finally, the Mask gained total control, hovering in the air with its prisoner, orange eyes glowing with power.

Cia frowned at the mask, "There, I got you your vessel. Now you fulfill your end of the bargain".

The Mask was frozen for a while. Long enough for Cia and Volga to summon their weapons for fear of retaliation. Their fears were allayed however, when the Mask nodded using its puppet's body, forming two balls of light, one white, one purple, and telekinetically lifting a branch, forming a purple ocarina with multicolored spikes from it.

The ocarina floated into the Skull Kid's limp hand, after which he started twitching, then sharply looked up at the three. "Hey there," he said cheerfully, "You guys want to play a game?"

 **Line Break**

Link felt his blood boil as the image faded, the orange eyes of Majora haunting his thoughts. He dew a shuddering breath, "…Do those fools have any idea the destruction they have released onto the world?"

The Great Deku Tree groaned, **"I would think not…These individuals are not the most sane, from what I have seen…Either by the ravages of time, or dark possession, they have lost all but miniscule vestiges of sanity"**.

Link scowled, "Well, now I know who to blame for my friend's suffering…but first things first, I must defeat Majora, free Skull Kid".

" **That is true Link** ," the guardian intoned, **"Though that may will not be an easy task…Cia has amassed a grand army, and Majora has not been idle-** "

"Let me guess," Link grouched, "She went around and trapped the…Light Spirits in masks, right?"

" **Yes, it has-hold a moment, she, are you referring to Cia?"**

Link shook his head, "No, Majora," he could feel The Great Deku Tree's perplexity. Link shrugged "When we fought, it's shrieks and loud laughter sounded like a woman…Assigning a gender makes her seem less otherworldly".

"… **Fair enough I suppose, but yes, the Light Spirits of Hyrule were roped into…her…nefarious schemes, with the added benefit of allowing Cia's monsters greater freedom to roam and pillage"**.

The chamber pulsed with energy, **"Link, I ask that you transform into a Deku once more,** " Link did so, **"Now my child, steel your nerves, and place your hands upon my main root** ".

Link did so unhesitatingly, and immediately he felt ancient magic move from the root into him. It felt…pure. As though he was connected to the forest and all life within it. Then, as suddenly as the sensation began, it ended; but even though the magic was no longer flowing, Link could feel it inside of him. The screen lit up once more, **"Gaze upon yourself my child"**.

Link did so, and was shocked by the changes made to his Deku body. He was taller now, a few inches taller than Business Scrub, but not as stocky, leaner, almost as thought his wooden body has muscles. And the three green leaves atop his head had grown into thick, yellow leaves that floated around his head (playing with them revealed that they spun around). The most amusing change however, came in the form of a small yellow-green maple leaf forming a goatee under his lips.

" **When you are finished admiring yourself,"** the Deku Tree affectionately chided, **"I would like you call upon the power I have gifted you, search deep inside yourself"** , he added.

Link playfully rolled his eyes (shown by the yellow light in his eyes dimming, before brightening again). He searched in his soul for the magic granted to him by one of the oldest and wisest beings he had the pleasure to know. He found it easily enough, and began to slowly work it out to the real world. When he was close to doing so, something started to grow out of his hands, but he did not stop, for fear of losing his progress. When he was fully done, he looked down at his hands, marveling at the staff he held in his hands, flowers blooming along one end, along with a miniature Deku Tree on the top, surrounded by a gold ring. "Wha…"

" **This is a piece of my power that I give to you, before I fall once more to slumber. Use it to gain access to my roots, my…magic…"** The Great Deku Tree's speech slowed towards the end.

Link bowed gratefully, then snapped his wooden fingers, "Oh! Before I forget, do you have any idea as to who or what brought me here?"

Groaning echoed throughout the chamber, **"…I do not know…"**

Link sighed, "Oh well". Then he walked over to the main root, patting it tenderly, "Thank you …father…"

The chamber brightened, **"Go forth my child…Save your friend…Save Hyrule once more…Show your enemies the power of the Hero of Time!"**

Link nodded, and using his newfound power, sank into the ground.

The Great Deku Tree gazed turned outwards, towards the monsters that dared to attackthe forest, and the Hylians that put out the magical fire. Then, the mighty guardian began to shake its entire being.

 **Line Break**

Wizzro scowled. The Hylians had put out the fire much quicker than expected, and were now rushing towards his last stronghold. Still, this was not a wasted mission. He had determined that the Hylians were not hiding Princess Zelda, so that most likely meant she was buried under some rubble, or at the very least injured and lost. He grinned to the sky, now all h had to do was call upon the rest of the monsters he had reserved, and make a hasty retreat. He summoned forth the Bulbins first, a great mass of them which served to demoralize the tired soldiers, before beginning to gather energy to transport his larger backup.

Then the ground started to shake underfoot. Following that, to his immense shock, wooden spikes shot out from the ground, killing a great deal of his monsters. His scowl returned, and he restarted his work. This time however, a wooden fist ramming into his eye interrupted him.

He flew back with a startled cry. When he regained his 'footing' he blinked at the figure that punched him. It looked like a Deku warrior (if there was such a thing) wielding a powerful staff; it's orange eyes glaring daggers at Wizzro.

Wizzro sent annoyed glares at the Bulbins at the nearby, "What are you idiots waiting for!" At that cue, the monsters charged.

Taking his eyes off of the dark spirit, Link turned to the charging monsters. He slammed his spear on the earth, and from the ground popped three Deku sprouts, which barreled forward, crushing several Bulbins. Those that survived quickly closed in on. Link, now holding the spear in both hands, charged. He dispatched of his first foe with a simple stab, and then swung his spear around, water trailing behind it. He spun the spear around, smacking several Bulbins, before slamming his spear to the ground once more, creating three pools of water. He quickly raised the spear, and three large icicles formed from the pools. A flick of the wrist caused them to explode, the cold shrapnel taking care of the remaining monsters.

Link returned his gaze to Wizzro, but the specter was gone. Link cursed as he heard a large number of people head his way. Turning he saw Sheik, Impa, Linkle, the current era's Hero, and a few Hylian captains.

Impa moved forward, ready to draw her blade, "Who are you?"

Link was about to answer, but loud rattling in the trees forced him to look skyward. He recognized the sound.

The Hylian forces heard it too, and several pairs of eyes darted back and forth trying to find the source of the noise. Link merely turned around, backing up towards the army.

The rattling grew louder, incessantly so. Then, a large figure dropped down from the sky, landing with a thud. Link glared at Odolwa as it swung its massive machete in an effort to intimidate them (though judging by the startled cries behind him, it worked to a degree). What threw him for a loop however, was when the masked giant bent down, showing them the back of its head, which then opened to reveal an eye.

"… _That's new,"_ but he settled into a stance regardless. Just then, series of loud thuds sounded from behind them. Link and the army turned around to see a Gohma and its offspring slashing its pincers at them.

Link groaned, "Just my luck". He turned to Impa, "You, Sheikah" Impa faced him, "Both of you," Sheik turned as well, "Assist me in defeating Odolwa. The rest of you, deal with the Gohma".

Everyone blinked at the wooden warrior. He growled, "Did I stutter?" and rushed off to meet Odolwa in combat.

Impa regained her composure, "Link! You and- Linkle was it?" the girl nodded, "Right, You and Linkle take the soldiers and deal with the Gohma". She eyed Sheik, "You come with me".

"Are we really going to listen to some wooden…thing?" One of the captains muttered.

A loud, airy yell caught their attention, and all turned to see the 'wooden thing' summon a large wooden spike from the ground, which drove into Odolwa's shield, pushing it back several meters. Impa raised a brow at the captain, "Any more comments?" The knight rushed off to catch up to his fellows.

 **Line Break**

Wizzro appeared at the Cia's base at the Temple of Souls from a shadowy portal, blinking furiously. To his increasing annoyance, the only one there was the Skull Kid and his two orbs, who was crouching over something. "Where are Cia and Volga?" Wizzro growled.

Skull Kid shot up, spinning around in the air, "Wah! You scared me…why didn't you two say anything!" Skull Kid pointed accusatorily at the orbs. Wizzro grimaced; the possessed Skull Kid's delusional conversations were weird, even for him.

"Where are they?" Wizzro repeated forcefully.

The Skull Kid shrugged, "She said something about preparing a trap for her 'love'," Skull Kid scoffed, looking around the room at the various portraits of the current Link, "Don't see why she's so obsessed, all the guy has going for him is a nifty scarf".

Wizzro rolled his one eye, "I'm leaving now".

Skull Kid halfheartedly waved goodbye as Wizzro sunk into a shadowy pool. After a moment, he peered around the room, then sharply looked at the balls of light floating overhead, "You guys better keep a lookout!" He reached into his satchel, and pulled out one of Cia's crystal balls.

He fiddled with the ball, pouring varying degrees of magic into it at different intervals. After a few moments of screwing around, the ball flickered to life. It floated out of his hands, and shot light onto a wall, an image flickering to life. Skull Kid clapped, "Ooh! I wasn't expecting a show". Skull Kid's glee grew when the image cleared to show Odolwa fighting the enemy army, "Yeah, mess 'em up!...Huh?" He floated forward at the sight of a strange, yet familiar Deku.

 **Line Break**

Link snarled as Odolwa kept a firm grip on its shield. It was smarter this time around, summoning bouts of fire from behind its shield, stomping the ground to disrupt their footing and attacking as they recovered. Still, Sheik and Impa were welcome helpers, keeping up a constant assault, even scoring a few good blows on the masked warrior. Only, it did not show any signs of slowing down.

Link backed away, scanning his foe. The biggest change was that giant eye on the back of its head, so that was where he would need to strike. Link gestured toward Sheik (Impa was currently engaging Odolwa in a deadly dance of blades) who dashed over. "I have a plan of attack, but I'm going to need you to gain its undivided attention". Sheik nodded, and sprinted towards Impa, throwing a kunai at Odolwa, who blocked the weapon with the flat of his blade, holding Impa back with its shield.

Link tapped his spear to the ground, forming a yellow Deku flower in front of him. He jumped on the plant, and spiraled down into the plant. After accumulating enough power, he shot out of the plant, his propeller leaves spinning rapidly to keep him in the air. Link stumbled in the air; it was a much different form of flight than the one he was accustomed to. In an effort to find balance, he crashed into a branch, and plummeted to the ground. He groaned as he got up, rubbing the back of his neck, and ran back to the flower, diving in to try again. This time, when he started to fly, he formed a large amount of Deku nuts on both ends of his spear, to balance himself out. He sighed in relief when he didn't careen into another branch.

He flew forward, hovering high above Odolwa head. He aimed carefully, if he missed this shot then Odolwa would aim for him next, and Link wasn't very confident in his ability to dodge in the air just yet. Shaking the spear, he loosed several Deku seeds.

Sheik and Impa rolled to the side as Odolwa swung its foot out. The monster's eyeholes glowed with an eerie light, and a ring of fire formed around the three, blocking any chance of escape.

Impa cursed, forming several large blades out of water and swinging them at the fire, but the blades evaporated from the intense flame. Sheik faced a similar issue when she tried to form a small hurricane.

Odolwa gutturally chuckled, and shook its head, causing the flames to close in on the two Sheikah warriors. It stopped however, when a high-pitched whistle pierced the sky. Unfortunately for the beast, it failed to find the source of the noise in time, and was rewarded for its ineptitude in the form a high speed Deku nut landing square in its head, followed by three others, the rest exploding around it.

The combination of intense light, sound, and pain forced Odolwa to stumble to its knees (subsequently getting rid of the fire), the eye on the back of its head involuntarily opening to the world.

Before Impa and Sheik could capitalize on this new development however, Link rocketed down, ramming his spear into the masked beast. He then back flipped away, and held his weapon vertically in front him point down. With a might yell, he shoved the spear into the earth, and five large trees sprouted from the ground, proceeding to bend at impossible angles to slam into Odolwa's eye. This proved too much for the monster, for after the last tree struck it, Odolwa straightened with a piercing shriek, shaking in place for several seconds, before finally falling dead to the ground, disappearing in purple flames.

Link stepped towards the disintegrating monster, and reached down to pick up its mask. It only occurred to him after a bright flash appeared that, perhaps, touching the remains might transfer him to another realm. Oh well, too late to turn back.

 **Line Break**

Link blinked as the light died down. He found himself in an expansive plain, a large pool of water in front of him. Looking at his reflection revealed that he was an adult, as opposed to a child. He frowned, _"…Sure, why not"_. Then, a golden light erupted from the bottom of the pool. An orb of light rose from it, a great serpent forming around the orb, the object itself resting in its mouth.

" **Thank you, Hero of Time, for freeing me from my prison,"** Lanayru bowed its head in thanks.

Link waved a hand, "No need to thank me Spirit, though I do have some questions".

" **I shall answer them to the best of my ability".**

Link nodded, "All right. First off, do you know where your fellow Spirits are?"

Lanayru looked down mournfully, **"I am afraid they were captured by the possessed imp. Faron and Ordona disappeared first, but unlike the time Zant invaded, there were no drastic changes to the land. It was only after Eldin went over to check on the two that we realized the controlled imp was behind their disappearances".** Lanayru heaved a great sigh, **"The imp gave chase, and I quickly came to Eldin's aid, only to be swiftly beaten down by the monsters using my fellow spirits as perverse vessels".** The great serpent looked Link in the eyes, **"After that, my memories grow dark".**

Link sighed, "And here I was hoping at least one of you managed to go into hiding," he clicked his tongue, "So, nothing overt changed when Ordona and Faron were captured?"

" **No,"** Lanayru replied, **"The first time we noticed something was amiss was when mortals prayed to myself and Eldin to protect their families in Faron and Ordon provinces from a great influx of monsters".**

Link nodded, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about an invasion from another dimension". Link sharply looked at the spirit, "Speaking of, what do you know of Termina?"

Lanayru hummed in thought, **"I know that one can reach it through the Lost Woods, why?"**

"I would like to request the assistance of the four Giants that guard that realm," Link elaborated.

Lanayru frowned, **"A wise endeavor…But it may take some time, for I cannot merely barge into another deity's realm".**

Link frowned as well, then snapped his fingers, "The Oath to Order!"

" **Pardon?"**

"It's a song I learned from the Giants," he started to dig into his satchel, "If you play it to them, they should listen to you". He pulled out his ocarina "Repeat after me". Link played through the song twice, slowly so that Lanayru could properly differentiate the notes. Then, Lanayru moaned rhythmically, but missed a note. Link shook his head, "No, the third note is the lowest". Lanayru nodded, and began to play again. This time, the Spirit repeated the song perfectly. Smirking, Link blew into his ocarina once more, performing a duet with the spirit, the soft notes of the ocarina blending with the deep rumbling of the serpent spirit.

As the last note floated away in the breeze, Lanayru bowed deeply to Link, **"I shall head for Termina posthaste. In return, I ask that you save the rest of the Light Spirits".**

Link bowed in return, "Of course. Good luck".

" **And to you as well"** Lanayru replied, before it dove into the pool, taking the light with it. Then Link felt his body float away.

 **Line Break**

Link shook his head, ruffling the leaves that lay atop it. He looked down at Odolwa's remains, and pocketed the mask for safekeeping. He looked around, taking note that Gohma and its brood had been killed, and that the current Hero, Linkle, Lana (who was peering closely at the old Hero), and the healthy Hylian captains joined Impa and Sheik a few meters away.

The Hero of Time bowed, "Thank you all for your assistance in keeping these woods safe".

Lana dropped her gaze, opting instead for a smile, "Oh, your welcome! I was happy to help".

Impa jerked her head towards him, "What are you?"

The transformed Hero snorted, "Rude much?" Impa bristled, and the Deku rolled its eyes, "I am simply an old spirit that wants to protect its home".

Linkle perked up at that, "Ooh, are you that strange imp that guides lost people to safety".

The old Hero blinked at that information, _"Huh, Skull Kid certainly grew a bigger heart-_ Uh, no, I'm not that spirit".

Proxi floated forward, "I used to live in these woods, and I've never heard of you".

He shrugged, "Well that's your problem isn't it?"

Proxi beat her wings rapidly, "Hey! Don't mock me!"

The current Hero brought a hand up to calm the fairy. "Relax," he stated, "He probably didn't mean anything by it". Proxi glared at the Deku, then spun around to fly into Link's hat.

Impa, who was internally debating with herself, decided to speak up, "Tell me old one, do you have any information on the whereabouts of Princess Zelda?"

That took the old Hero by surprise, _"What is she talking about?"_ he shifted his pupil-less gaze to Sheik, " _Could it be a ruse to throw off lurking foes?"_ That theory was discarded however, when a closer examination of Impa revealed that the Sheikah's query was sincere. _"Hmmm, this is very curious"._

Sheik tensed, as the Deku was silent for a long time, and grew increasingly worried that her secret would be revealed. She almost slumped over in relief when the Deku replied, "No, I have no information on the princess's whereabouts".

Impa gazed imploringly at the warrior, "Are you sure?" A nod was her only reply.

The old Hero turned his gaze skyward, "I would suggest you all rest soundly. Night will fall soon, and it will give you all time to cool down from the rush of victory". He shifted his head down towards the group, "Farewell, and may you find victory on your quest". With those parting words, the old Hero sank into the ground.

He reappeared far away, and took off his mask, slumping against a tree stump in exhaustion.

 **Line Break**

Skull Kid looked on in shock as the menacing Deku removed its face and transformed into a blonde child. Shakily, he lifted a hand to the image; "Th-that kid looks f-familiar," the purple and white orbs floating around him began to melt, "That…that's Lin-GAHHHHHHHHH!" Pain shot through his body, as Majora sent massive amounts of energy through Skull Kid's body. He writhed in the air, until he went limp. Then the mask's eyes glowed, and it maneuvered the Skull Kid's body to face the image once more.

Majora could admit to being curious about the Deku when it first appeared. After all, the more people there were to play, the more interesting games were. But then it revealed itself to be the same boy that defeated it, in a time long since passed. It was bad enough with those statues and portraits littering the grounds, but to have that child -that same child!- on this physical plane!

Majora manipulated Skull Kid's arms, and crushed the crystal ball into countless shards, as darkness spread throughout the room. Majora had the pathetic, lovesick fool of a sorceress duped, along with her cronies- their arrogance almost matching that of those overconfident mages that sealed Majora into a mask in an effort to control its power. And its puppet's childish nature belayed the threat of the being controlling him; fooling the mortal masses into thinking he was just an abnormally powerful, but overall ignorable imp. But that boy, he knew the truth! The darkness started to quiver, cracks forming on the walls. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the darkness receded, and Majora calmed down. Pointless anger would lead nowhere.

Majora considered the facts, and upon thinking further on the problem, concluded that the boy was also forced to play dumb and work from the shadows. Otherwise, he would have marched towards this castle, crushing all opposition with the power of a god. Yes, Majora could work with this; things would just have to be done more cautiously. Already, the ancient being regretted loaning out its monsters to Cia. The mortals that currently scampered about may be able to commune with the deities, but only the boy was old enough to understand them, and if they were freed, the child would gain greater power. Still, Majora could win this game; it would just have to bend some rules.

It relinquished control back to the Skull Kid, taking greater care to seal away the Skull Kid's memories of Link, as well as reforming its 'companions'. Still, this took great effort on Majora's part. Skull Kid had a lot of memories of Link, fond memories, the kinds of memories that did not like to be thrown aside. _**"Prepare yourself Link,"**_ Majora thought as it withdrew deep into the Skull Kid's conciousness to truly lock away the rebellious part of him, _**"For now, now the game gets interesting"**_.

 **A/N: Continuing the fic. Sidenote: This is the longest chapter I have ever written, yay me. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Atypical Mornings

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Link groaned lightly when he heard the light caw of a cucco. Groggily, he opened his eyes. Scanning the room though his haze, he found himself in his youngest child's room. He looked down; noting that he was on a far too small rocking chair, a small book on his lap. He rubbed his eyes, _"Must have fallen asleep telling Mika a story_ ".

He got up-quietly so as not wake his daughter- and tiptoed over to the window. He pulled up on it, but it wouldn't budge. Link groaned lightly, bending down to fiddle with the lock. He opened it, wincing as it squeaked, _"I should get that fixed_ ". He stuck his head out, to breath in that cool, early morning air. He smiled when the familiar smells of hay and feed wormed their way up his nostrils. Then he opened his eyes, and terror seized his heart.

There, hovering high above his farm was the Moon, glaring down at Link's home, its eyes glowing a bright orange, maw open wide to consume all. Link stumbled backwards, numb to all but the horror literally hanging over his head. He fell over the rocking chair, crushing it with a loud *crack*.

"Daddy?"

His daughter's voice broke through the hazy dread, and Link quickly scrambled up. "Mika, listen to me," he said, wiping the broken chair pieces off of his clothes "We need to leave. Go get your brother's, I'll grab your mother and-"

"W **hy?** " Link froze.

Slowly, terror-stricken, Link brought his head up towards his daughter's bed. His heart crawled into his throat at the sight of the familiar heart shaped mask attached to his daughter's face. Link shuffled backwards, **"What's wrong…don't you want to play?"** The mask began to glow, and it shook on his daughter's head, its harsh rattling reverberating in Link's skull. He stepped closer to the window, and the floor fell out beneath him. Link fell in the darkness, screaming as Majora's inhuman laughter followed him down.

 **Line Break**

Link shot up with a gasp. He did not know where he was-only registering cold wood on his face. He clawed at it, throwing aside it aside, where it landed with a clatter. His breath was heavy, heart rapid, and sweat running down his face. After a minute, he began to calm down. He started to recall the evens from the previous day. He gazed around the tent given to Linkle by the army, on the outer edge of the Hylian army's temporary resting grounds. Linkle slept soundly in a bedroll a few feet away, and based on the lack of voices, metallic shuffling, and light, it was well before dawn.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stood up, creeping slowly towards the exit of the tent, grabbing his discarded mask as he left. Once outside, he slipped on the Stone mask, slipping past the tired sentries and snoring cucco, and walked up a nearby hill. There were multiple boulders on the crest- he climbed atop the largest one.

He set the Stone mask aside, and held his head in his hands. Nightmares. Those were not something he had had in centuries. In his first life, horrific memories were always eager to assault his sleeping mind; something that his wife was, thankfully, understanding of, always willing and able to support him. Now however, there was no one he could turn to for comfort, no one who could hold him close, no one to remind him of all the wonderful things in the world.

Once again, he felt great anger well up in his heart. Someone, divine or mortal, tore him away from paradise, from his family, from peace. He…he would not abandon Hyrule, not yet at least. Skull Kid was under Majora's influence, and Eldin, Faron, and Ordona still needed to be rescued.

He rubbed his eyes with a wry chuckle. The fact that he was a child had almost slipped his mind. He had considered coming clean about his identity, but did not want to risk the news leaking to Cia and her forces, especially Majora. Although, if he was being honest, the sealed monster most likely had some sort of suspicion he was here. After all, his new and improved Deku form was not the subtlest, and it still had many of the same features from when he was an actual child.

While deep in thought of Majora and how best to defeat it (again), the loud cry of multiple cucco sounded off behind him, followed by metal objects banging together. Link sighed, placing the Keaton mask on his face once more. His ponderings would have to wait.

 **Line Break**

Linkle's eyes shot open when various grunts and agitated yells reached her ears. It took a moment for the memories of yesterday to break through the morning haze. Then, she smiled in glee, and started to dance in place. Her quest was going so well! Okay, so the princess was missing, and Hyrule was in general disarray, and monsters were coming from seemingly nowhere…but she made a good impression on General Impa, and was offered a position with the royal army (granted, on a temporary basis due to extraordinary circumstances)! Then she remembered the young boy she had taken in, "Hey Shade," she called, "Are you-!" Linkle turned her head towards Shade's bedroll, but found it empty. Worry creeping into her heart; she leapt out of the tent, searching for the boy.

She did, however, take a moment to giggle to herself at the sight of a number of soldiers trying in vain to catch her cuccos. She brought a hand to her mouth, and gave out a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, every cucco in the area sped towards her, giving the soldiers a welcomed reprieve. After performing a quick scan to ensure she had all her birds, she sent them off into the field.

She turned to one of the bleary-eyed soldiers, bowing slightly, "I'm really sorry about that".

The captain tried to glare, but ended up yawning instead. He smacked his lips, "…Well, it's almost dawn anyway". Linkle smiled sheepishly as he turned around to gather the rest of his troops.

"He didn't look happy".

Linkle jumped around, facing Shade. She put her hands on her hips, "Shade! Where were you? I was worried when I woke up and you weren't in the tent".

Shade shrunk in on himself, "Sorry…I just…wanted to see the stars" He said meekly.

Linkle frowned slightly, then bent down to face him, "Well, next time you feel like doing that, wake me up, I'll watch the stars with you," she smiled, "Okay?"

Shade nodded slowly.

Linkle stood up, "Great! Now then, let's see where we can get some breakfast".

 **Line Break**

"So, you are unable to see anything on the whereabouts of Princess Zelda?" Impa asked, gazing deep into a mirror.

In the mirror, an old woman shrugged, "Well, she's not dead, otherwise I would be able to find her body. Something, be it the Triforce or some dark magic, is shielding her from my sight".

Impa sighed, "At least I know she's out there". Her gaze sharpened, "And what of the young warrior, 'Sheik'?"

The older woman frowned deeply, "There is no one from the tribe with that name…"

Impa tapped her cheek, "But surely any other Sheikah in Hyrule would have come to Kakariko?"

The woman gave a noncommittal grunt, "Perhaps her family was still in hiding. After all, it was only a few decades ago that our way of life was revived, what with the royal family' historians and magicians unearthing those with Sheikah blood, revitalizing our natural talents".

Impa scowled, "Then where did Sheik come from".

The loud cries of cucco interrupted their conversation. Impa ran a hand down her face at the sound of her soldiers panicking. She turned back to the mirror, "We'll speak more of this later Mara".

Mara smiled warmly, "Good luck Impa," and her image disappeared.

Impa stomped outside, freezing in place, jaw wide open at the sight of her soldiers, the hope of Hyrule, half-dressed, chasing poultry. One of the few soldiers in full armor caught sight of Impa, and snapped into a salute, "General! I, uh, I can explain…I think". Just then, all the birds stopped what they were doing, and then rushed off to the west.

Impa and the soldier exchanged glances. Impa brought a hand up to her forehead, "Just…Just get the rest of the men in order".

The soldier nodded, jogging towards a large group. Impa walked over to the mess hall, rubbing her temples all the way.

 **Line Break**

Impa was thankful that the cooks, at least, were already awake before the chaos occurred. She grabbed a bowl of stew, sitting down close to the entrance. She tried to find Link first, but one of the cooks had informed her that Link ran inside to grab some food, then rushed off to make sure none of the animals (read: hishorse) were spooked. Impa rubbed the back of her neck…she would find him later. She spotted Sheik, sitting away from the other soldiers. She sent Impa a small nod- Impa, distrustful but not discourteous, responded in kind. When Lana came skipping into the tent, Impa called her over.

Lana-after getting her meal- merrily made her way to Impa, "Good morning!" she happily announced.

Impa cocked a brow, "You're oddly chipper".

Lana shrugged, "I was already up, trying to see if I could divine any new information on Cia".

Impa leaned forward, "And?"

Lana shook her head, poking at her stew, "Nothing we don't already know".

"Hi!...How's it going?...You look great!" Impa and Lana craned their heads to see the source of the voice, and were unsurprised to that it was Linkle (the girl was fairly easy to read) happily striking up conversation with any and all passing soldiers, her unofficial ward, Shade, following close behind.

Impa frowned. The boy would be a bit of a mess to sort out. From what Linkle told them, he was an orphan, who ran away from his village after it was besieged by monsters. Impa turned to Lana, who was peering at Shade intently. She grunted, "Are you sure you haven't seen him before?"

Lana twitched slightly, "Hmm, what? Oh!" she quickly shook her head, "No, no I haven't".

"Really? Because you've been staring at him a lot for someone you don't know'".

"I'm sure," Lana responded, "There's just…something familiar about him". Before Impa could probe further however, Linkle plopped herself down next to them (Shade sliding silently in next to her).

"Hello general! I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to help my country!" Linkle smiled, giving a sharp salute.

Despite herself, Impa gave a small smile in return; "At ease," Linkle lowered her hand, and started to eat. "If anything, I should be thanking you. I heard about what you did from some of my men, very impressive".

Linkle blushed, facing down at her food, "Oh, it wasn't that impressive. I mean did you see that wooden guy?" She snapped her head back up, awe clearly on her face, "He was awesome!"

Impa frowned, "Yes…a shame that he-was he male?" Lana and Linkle shrugged 'yes', "right-a shame he did not wish to assist us".

Lana smiled, "Well, at least we know the forest is safe". Impa nodded, and returned to her stew.

They all ate in silence-even Shade, to Impa's surprise. What struck her as truly strange, however, was that he still wore a mask, although this one looked like an eagle, and only covered the upper half of his face. Impa gestured to the boy, "It would be easier to eat without that on, wouldn't it?"

Shade paused, "…Maybe," and ate once more.

Impa sighed, even with a couple decades of experience under her belt, she still didn't fully understand children. When they all finished, Linkle volunteered to put their dishes away, and quickly sped off, leaving the three to sit in more silence.

Lana, not one for lulls in conversation, smiled brightly at Shade. "So, what's it like being around all these soldiers?"

Shade frowned, "All right I guess…I mean, I haven't really talked to anyone".

Lana put a hand on his shoulder, "Well, you're talking to us aren't you?" The boy shrugged.

Impa grunted, "So…do you know where your village is?"

Shade gulped, "I, uh, I don't know".

Impa stared hard at the boy, "You don't know?"

Shade's face sagged slightly, ears drooping down as well. Lana sent Impa a small frown. Impa, for her part, realized that she might have been a bit harsh. Before she could make amends however, a soldier rushed towards their table. "General Impa!" he called.

Impa stood, "What is the matter?"

The soldier opened his mouth, hesitated, and then began once more, "There is a man who wishes to see you, north of the camp. And he refuses to leave until he has said his piece".

Impa frowned, "Who is he?"

"He wouldn't say. He only smiled, creepily I might add, and insisted that he speak with you".

Impa scowled, "Doesn't this man know we are at war?"

"One of the captains did bring that up. The man replied with," the soldier swallowed, "He said that, 'that isn't an excuse to be rude'".

Impa's scowl deepened, and she stalked out of the mess hall, Lana, Sheik, and a small force of soldiers close behind.

When she arrived, she was glad to see that Link and a few cavalry were in front of this audacious individual. Impa brushed past them, and paused once she fully caught sight of him.

 **Line Break**

The Happy Mask Salesman's patience waned. He had hoped that this Hero would at least be willing to listen, but the brat was being decidedly unhelpful. His little fairy didn't help matters much either.

"You heard Link and the captains," her high-pitched voice sounded once more, "You have to go".

Link nodded, "Really, you need to leave".

The Happy Mask Salesman's smile twitched, "And I told you, I wish to speak with your general". He then heard a large number of footfalls head their way, and his smile brightened at the sight of Impa. "Ah, general," he bowed deeply, "It is an honor to meet with you".

Impa stepped back slightly, "Right…who are you?"

The Happy Mask Salesman straightened, the suddenness of it scaring the horses a bit (and some of the soldiers). "I am the Happy Mask Salesman; a collector and seller of masks and happiness".

Impa nodded wearily, "And your name?"

"Not important". Impa's eye twitched.

The Salesman spoke once more, "You see, I have lost a very…special mask and I-"

Impa swept her hand, "I'm sorry, but as you must certainly know, we are in the middle of a war".

He wrung his hands, "I am afraid you don't understand-"

Impa interrupted him again, more forcefully this time, "And I'm afraid you don't understand!" She started to shout, "This is an army! We aren't a police force! I'm sure your lost item was very valuable, but we cannot help you!"

The Happy Mask Salesman, "Oh…I…I see". Suddenly, his closed eyes snapped open, revealing angry, bloodshot orbs. "You fool!"

Impa and her forces jumped back a bit, the horses whinnying in fright at the harshness of his voice. "Do you know could happen! The evil that could be unleashed! Your ignor-" He stopped ranting as more of the army came running at the commotion, or rather, as a blonde boy wearing a Bremen mask slinked behind the forces.

The Happy Mask Salesman quickly shut up, eyes shutting to their natural state, a calm smile on his face. "Never mind," the Hylian army collectively blinked in surprise, "I am sure all will be well". With that said, he turned around, and walked off into the distance. He turned back however, to scan the crowd once more. When he saw the boy, who gave an almost imperceptible nod, his smile widened, and moved forward.

Impa eyed the strange salesman as he vanished over a ridge. She turned to the assembled soldiers, "What are you standing around for! We need to start packing up and moving out!"

The soldiers gave a resounding "Yes General!" and started to hustle back to the camp.

Linkle pinched her arm, to make sure the last few minutes actually happened. After confirming that yes, they had, she turned to Shade, "So, uh…"

"I'm going to play with the cucco!" Shade chirped, and sped off towards the birds.

 **Line Break**

The Happy Mask Salesman grinned widely as Link shimmered into view, "I see that your masks are as helpful as ever".

Link grunted, "It's a small comfort considering the fact that I should be dead".

The Happy Mask Salesman tilted his head, peering at Link, "Hmm, this is the second time that we have met, and once again you are in stuck in a form not your own". He straightened, putting a hand on his chin, "Only this time, I do not believe the Song of Healing can fix this".

Link scolwed, "I figured as much. After all, I am neither cursed, nor afflicted with great sorrow".

The Happy Mask Salesman chuckled bitterly, "No, only rage and weariness lie beneath that youthful mask".

Link sighed, "Regardless, we both know what lies beyond the horizon".

The Happy Mask Salesman's smile disappeared, "Yes…Majora's Mask was stolen from me once more…and it seems that the imp is once more under its control".

Link gazed at the sky mournfully, "Yes…make no mistake, I will save him once more, and Hyrule as well of course".

A smile, "I never had any doubts". The Happy Mask Salesman frowned thoughtfully, "That woman who stole the mask from me…something is not right about her".

Link scoffed, "She keeps company with Majora, an undead wizard, and a glory hound dragon knight, I doubt she is of sound mind".

"No," the Salesman shook his head, "Well, that may indeed contribute to her insanity, but there is something else. Something is…guiding her".

Link rubbed his temples, "I don't have the time nor the patience to worry about that Cia woman and her issues. Majora, as we can both attest, is by far the greater evil".

The Happy Mask Salesman nodded, "Of course". A face-spitting grin spread across his face, "Still, at least I know a true Hero is here to help". He turned, and started to walk away.

Link cocked a brow, "Where are you going?"

The Salesman turned around, his smile more genuine than the ones before. "I _am_ a purveyor of happiness, and the people of this land are currently lacking it". He walked forward with a laugh, "So much to do, so little time". And then, after walking further towards the horizon, he vanished.

Link stared at the spot the Salesman disappeared from for a bit longer, before placing the Stone mask on his face, vanishing from sight as well.

 **A/N:** **So…yeah, this chapter is up…it's actually getting hard to find something to write in these little blurbs. Regardless, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Moon!

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Link eyed the small village anxiously. He did not plan on finding one so soon. He mentally berated himself, he should have just taken a few maps and left. But no…he couldn't just steal from the Hylian army.

He sighed irritably. Now he'd be delayed even longer.

"Hey Shade," Linkle bent down to look as Link, startling him out of his musings, "Are you feeling okay?"

Link nodded slightly, "Yes. I just, uh, feel nervous".

Linkle smiled sweetly, rubbing his arm soothingly, "Aw, don't worry, you'll be just fine! Right guys?" She looked over to their travelling companions (just a few soldiers and a captain).

One of the soldiers nodded, "Definitely. I lived here for most of my childhood, so believe me when I say it's a good place".

They continued on in silence after that. When they entered the village, they were greeted warmly, the soldier from before entering a jovial conversation with the mayor and a few other adults.

"Oh, L-Shade! My sweet child!"

Link yelped in surprise when a tall woman with bright gold hair wearing a yellow dress swept him up in a grand hug. Link visibly tensed. She pulled him closer, "Easy Hero of Time," she whispered, "I'm here to help".

Link looked in her green eyes, which flashed briefly, warmly. He decided to play along. "Aunt Romani!" he cried, wrapping his arms around her.

"Ahem," the two turned to Linkle, who looked at them with a puzzled expression, "Hi there...Um, who are you?"

The woman put Link down, "I'm Shade's Aunt, Romani, as he just said". She bowed slightly, "Thank you for taking care of my nephew".

One of the soldiers waved their hand, "No worries ma'am, just doing our sworn duty!"

Linkle looked around, "Are there, uh, anymore of your family here?"

The woman frowned, "No…it's just us…"

Linkle gasped, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't apologize," the woman gently interrupted, "You couldn't have known". She bowed again, deeper this time, "Again, thank you for taking care of Shade".

Linkle smiled, "No problem!"

Linkle bent down to look at Link, "Well…it's been fun Shade…you're a great kid, just so you know".

Link smiled softly at Linkle. He moved forward, lifting up his mask slightly and standing on his toes. He placed a small kiss on her forehead, "…I know you'll be a great Hero Linkle".

Linkle was still for a moment, before grabbing Link in a rib-crushing hug.

After a moment, the Hylian Captain cleared his throat, "Ms. Linkle, we do have to get going".

Linkle sniffled, "Yeah…I know," she stood up with a sniffle, "It was really nice getting to know you Shade…Stay safe!" She smiled widely, a few happy tears running down her face. She abruptly turned on her heel, furiously rubbing her eyes.

The Captain inclined his head, "Ma'am, Shade," and then turned around as well, leading his troops and Linkle back to camp.

After the group disappeared over the horizon, Link walked behind a large building, the woman following close behind. After making sure no one was watching, he led them further away from the village.

After they walked far enough away, Link turned to face the woman, "All right, who are you?"

The woman smirked playfully, "Aw…why are you acting so rude to your dear aunt?"

Link scowled, "If you know who I am then you know that we don't have time to waste standing around doing nothing".

The woman just arched her back, that playful smirk still adorning her face, "Hmph, and here I thought you were a polite, quiet individual". A flash of light enveloped her, and her form shrunk down, until was simply an orb of light with gossamer wings. "I'm Kara, by the way".

Link arched a brow, "…I didn't know Great Fairies could turn into an average fairy".

Kara's wings drooped slightly, "All the Great Fairies have been working as hard as they can to stem the flow of monsters, ever since the Light Spirits disappeared. The Fairy Queen gave me that form on a temporary basis, so I could find you".

Link hummed, "…And what would the Fairy Queen want with me?"

"I have no idea," Kara floated over to Link's shoulder, landing on it.

Link sighed, "Very well…where is the Fairy Queen located?"

Kara pointed east, "There's a fairy fountain in a cave a few miles in that direction, from there we can enter Her Majesty's realm".

 **Line Break**

Link grunted as he swung his hammer, smacking a bulbin into a tree, where it fell limp.

"Wow," Kara spoke from behind him, gazing at the dozen or so corpses scattered around the two, "You're really good at this".

Link smirked, putting the hammer away; "You should see me with a sword". He frowned, "How much farther is this cave?"

Kara floated ahead, "Not far, just over that ridge".

Link followed close behind.

Link gazed down at the cave when he made it to the crest. Like any area a Great Fairy dwelled, it didn't look like much from the outside. But, assuming you were in tune with the magic of the world, one could tell it was anything but an ordinary cave.

Kara led Link inside.

After walking in darkness for a few moments, an ethereal light came into view, followed by the sound of gently flowing water.

Link heaved a great sigh, letting the natural magic of the fountain wash over him.

He stopped just in front of the water.

Link and Kara stood (and floated) in silence.

Kara flittered about nervously, "This is wrong…someone should be here…"

Link frowned in thought, "Well, you did say the Great Fairies were very busy".

"Still…"

Link pursed his lips. He didn't like the idea of standing around while Hyrule was under siege. Then, a memory from his youth surfaced, and he pulled out his ocarina.

He quickly played Zelda's Lullaby. He was relieved when a portal opened as he blew the last note. That relief turned to alarm when he felt himself being pulled towards it.

Before he could try and gain solid footing (by either turning into a Goron or pulling out his hookshot) the force of the portal lifted him in the air. He instinctively reached out to Kara, grabbing her and holding her close to his chest as he curled in the air through the portal.

 **Line Break**

Link tumbled as he exited the portal. He stood up unsteadily, glaring at his surroundings.

Kara floated from his grasp, flittering between Link and the surrounding trees, "Ok, something is really wrong".

"No kidding".

Kara shivered, "Not that…can't you feel it?"

Link nodded, "Feels…Dark…"

Kara moved closer to Link, "I'm getting really worried".

Link clenched his jaw, reaching into his satchel, "As am I".

A loud explosion sounded from far left.

Link quickly pulled out a bottle and his Goron mask; "You'll be safer in here". Kara made no objections, flying into the bottle and closing it herself.

Link slipped the bottle back into his satchel, and then placed the Goron mask on his face. He sucked in his breath as his flesh turned to stone, his body at least doubling in mass and height.

He examined his form. Everything looked about the same, a bit more muscle on his arms and legs perhaps, but all around the same.

He curled up into a ball. He spun in place for a few seconds, building momentum, before rocketing off, spikes sprouting off from various points on his body, fire trailing behind him.

As he grew closer, loud, angry roars started to mix with the explosions, which were increasing in frequency and intensity.

He skidded to a stop atop a large hill. He uncurled, staring down in shock at the chaos below him.

Great Fairies, in a greater number than he had ever seen, flew around and above an army of Stalfos, Stalchildren (the largest of which towered over trees) and puppets. There was a large white barrier further into the forest, dark lighting crackling along its surface.

Link prioritized the carnage in front of him, rolled into a ball once more, and hurtled off of the hill.

He opened up as he soared in the air, gazing down at the battlefield. Spotting a large Stalchild harassing a group of Great Fairies. He coated his fists in bright orange flames, adjusted his course, and barreled towards the undead foe.

He hit its skull with a booming _crack_ , crashing through it and plowing into the ground. The monster shuddered slightly, before falling apart.

Link shook his head as he stood, wiping dust off of his gloves. A Great Fairy moved over to him, "Thank you, Hero of Time".

Link grunted, "What's going on here?"

The Great Fairy scowled, sending a wave of energy at a group of puppets, disintegrating them, "It's the Skull Ki—rather, that Mask. It showed up suddenly, bringing an army with it. The Fairy Queen trapped herself and it in that barrier further ahead, and we've been fighting ever since.

Link tapped his cheek, "I didn't think I would meet Majora this soon," he said under his breath, "and she's isolated too…this is too good an opportunity to pass up". He shifted his gaze to the Great Fairy, "How can I help?"

The Great Fairy crossed her arms, "There are a seven crystals scattered around, if we power them up, it should wipe out the monsters-"

"And then we can all rush for Majora," Link finished, "Where is the nearest crystal?"

The Great Fairy waved her arms, cleaving through a large group of monsters, "That way, my sisters are already making way towards the other six".

Link nodded, "Oh, before I forget," he took out the bottle containing Kara, and gently released her.

Kara shook her head, "Thank you, it was getting cramped".

Link smiled at the fairy before curling into a ball, "I shall be back as quick as I can," Link said as he rolled away, crashing through the occasional monster.

 **Line Break**

Link growled at the large line of monsters in front of him. He didn't have time to kill them all one by one, but he also didn't want to leave them be.

Deciding to try something different, he reached deep inside himself, calling his magic out onto the real world.

He curled into a ball, spikes immediately forming as he zoomed forward. He weaved through the large crowd, a large trail of fire following close behind. When he made it to the other end, he launched himself into the air, and then slammed into the ground.

The ground he tread exploded in fire and earth, the blast destroying his foes.

With a smirk, he rolled away towards the crystal.

The crystal floated on an island in the middle of a large lake, surrounded by monsters. He pulled off his Goron mask, and then reached into his satchel, putting the Zora mask on.

He rolled his shoulders once the transformation ended, diving into the water.

He allowed himself a small smile. Of all his forms, the Zora form was always the most fun.

He skirted close to the surface to gauge the situation.

The monsters had set up a barrier around the crystal; he swam around the island a few times. He sank down further into the lake. " _Well…I ended doing more with the fire than I thought...I might as well,"_ he summoned a barrier of electricity, and shot for the surface.

Water swirled around him as he broke through the surface. The electrolyzed water covered the monster, electrocuting them in turn. He rolled when he hit ground, coming up on his knees. He swept his arms out, his fins detaching and flying forward, electrically charged. This took care of the remaining monsters.

Link rolled his shoulders as he stood up, wincing slightly as his fins reattached to his arms.

He walked over to the crystal, "Ok," he said aloud, "how do I…?" he gently placed a hand on the crystal.

The crystal flared brightly, sending out a pulse of magic energy.

Link frowned, "…Ok, that will work".

 **Line Break**

Skull Kid giggled as he hopped from side-to-side, "Geez," he dodged a wave of energy, "You suck at this".

The Fairy Queen (who, despite her title, looked like a smaller, younger Great Fairy) frowned at Skull Kid, " **Please my friend stop this madness!** "

Skull kid groaned in slight frustration, "How many times do I have to tell you? I have no idea who you are...you are cute though". He yelped, ducking underneath another wave of energy. He grumbled, blowing a few notes in his ocarina, sending 'Tatl' and 'Tael' forward.

The Fairy Queen blocked both orbs, wincing as they pushed her back.

Skull Kid sighed, "We didn't have to do this, you know".

The Fairy Queen ground her teeth, " **You attacked my sanctuary!** "

"Only after you told me off".

" **You wanted to seal away my kin!** "

Skull Kid lazily floated in the air, "…I did ask nicely". He brought the ocarina to his lips, and was about to blow into it, when he felt a great deal of energy flowing from the land.

He cried out in panic when 'Tatl' and "Tael" zoomed past him.

He slowly turned to the Fairy Queen, who had a large halo of yellow energy around her head, eyes glowing with power.

He rubbed the back of his head, "Uh…oopsy?" he giggled weakly. A loud rumbling drew his attention.

Link rolled into view. He stopped next to the Fairy Queen, pulling off his mask.

"Skull Kid," he said, "Listen to me, you must fight Majora!"

Skull Kid stared in silence, twitching slightly.

Link slowly reached into his satchel.

The Skull Kid went limp. " **…I must admit, finding you this early is an…interesting development** ".

Link growled, "Majora!" he spat out, "Let Skull Kid go!"

" **I'd rather not** ," the Mask replied, gazing down at Skull Kid's body " **Despite everything, this pathetic child makes a great vessel** ".

The Fairy Queen summoned an orb of energy.

" **Now, now** ," Majora chided, tendrils coiling around Skull Kid " **I can still kill him, and I don't think either of you would like that** ".

Link glared at the Mask, "And if you kill him, then you know that there will be nothing to keep me from tearing you to pieces".

Majora gazed contemplatively at Link. " **…True** ," the tendrils receded. " **I suppose there is only one thing I can do** ".

The Mask shook rapidly, and a pulse of dark energy shot out from it.

The Fairy Queen formed a barrier, blocking the energy. She frowned however, when the attack easily dissipated against her shield.

Someone gasped, "Look! The sky!"

The Fairy Queen jerked her gaze skyward, gasping audibly at the sight of at least a dozen moons–with misshaped, cruel smiles— descended from the heavens.

Link face twisted in rage. He spared a glance at Majora, calmly floating just a few feet away. He bit back a curse, and pulled out the Fierce Deity mask.

The Fairy Queen saw this out of the corner of her eye. " **Wait, stop!** "

She was too late.

Link doubled over as Dark energy started to course through his being. He twisted and writhed until he could endure the pain no longer. The mask melded over his face, and he roared to the heavens.

A harsh light enveloped him, forcing all but the most powerful (the Fairy Queen and Majora) to look away.

Link held out his hand, his magic blade started to take shape. Then, he cried out in pain, and fell to his knees, electricity crackling over his body.

" **Link!** " the Fairy Queen cried out, moving towards him. She was forced to a halt however, when dark energy started to flow around him.

Majora laughed cruelly, " **Foolish, moronic mortal! Calling upon the power of a dark god in a holy place?!** "

The Fairy Queen cursed, looking between Link, and the ever-growing pool of darkness surrounding him, and the moons getting closer and closer to the ground.

"Tell me, Majora…"

The Mask and the Queen turned toward Link.

"Do you honestly, believe," he sucked in a deep breath, "That something as inconseq **uential as pain WILL STOP ME!** "

The Fairy Queen stepped back as the darkness that surrounded Link started to coalesce back towards him.

He held out his left hand, and the dark energy, once more, started to form a blade. Only, this one was different, much different.

The blade was no longer blue and green metal blending together. The pommel of the hilt was shaped like an arrowhead, and a large blue gem rested in the cross-guard. One of the blades was similar to the original; only it was a mix of steel grey, red, and serrated black on the inner edges. The second blade was radically different. It was made out of sharp, black, serrated metal, looking almost like teeth. Red energy misted from both the sword and Link.

Majora recoiled in shock, " **This…this is impossible** ".

The Fairy Queen took a tentative step forward, " **Link…** "

He ignored her. Instead, he stood up slowly. He took a deep breath, gazing up at the falling moons.

He grabbed he blade in both hands, hoisting it to his side, energy collecting on it. Then, he roared. He roared so loud that the earth shook and the air quivered. He stepped forward, swinging the blade and releasing the energy within it.

There was a collective gasp as light blue energy engulfed the sky. When the energy dissipated, there was not even a cloud in the sky.

Link turned his gaze to Majora, but the demon was not there. He cursed; she must have escaped in the carnage. He sighed, " _ **It is probably for the best…that strike took a lot out of me**_ ".

" **Link?** " the Hero of Time faced the Fairy Queen, " **Are you…well?** "

Link smiled softly, " **Well enough…although, I might not be in a moment** ".

The Fairy Queen frowned. Before she could respond though, Link brought a hand to his face, and pulled off his mask.

Link swayed, "I don't suppose," his eyelids fluttered, "you have a bed?" His knees buckled, and he lost consciousness.

 **Line Break**

Majora flashed into existence at Cia's palace. " _ **How…how was that possible?**_ "

For the first time in what must have been ages, Majora felt true fear. Before a few moments ago, the boy was an individual to be wary of, a terrible threat to be sure, but a manageable one nonetheless.

And he just enhanced the power of a god.

Majora shuddered. If it had a proper body, it would be vomiting.

Raucous laughter interrupted its frightened thoughts. Majora retreated back into Skull Kid's subconscious, only one thought on its mind.

No more games, Link needed to die.

 **A/N: Next time, we take a look at the Hylian army's latest endeavor. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Ain't No Valley Low Enough.

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Impa read over the report the courier had just given her. She cursed, "Damn it all!" She rubbed then her temples; "Calm down," she muttered, "Calm down…You should have expected this. It's too far away from a large enough body of water for the Zoras to be of any help anyway". She leaned over her desk, "…At least I know they'll help keep an eye on Hyrule".

A captain pulled open her tent, "General Impa!" he half-shouted.

"Yes?"

"The scouts have just returned, they've found a clear path to the Valley of Seers!"

Imps nodded, "Good. Prepare to the troops! We move out in 20 minutes!"

"Yes General!"

 **Line Break**

Sheik leapt into the air, throwing a dozen kunai at a small group of Bokoblin, rushing forward to deal with the rest once she landed.

She grunted, _"There's a great influx of enemies…there are three keeps under their control, we need all of them_ ".

She twirled around, searching for Lana. When she found the blue-haired sorceress, she bound forward.

Several monsters got in her way. She grunted, strumming her harp in a quick tune. Lightning exploded forth, frying her foes.

She then slid to a stop next to Lana, who shoved her hand forward, sending a wall of magic into a small group of Bokoblins.

Lana faced Sheik with a smile, "What's up?"

"We need to capture those three keeps just ahead".

"I was thinking the same thing!" Lana said jovially.

Sheik nodded, "I'll grab some soldiers and take the closest one to the East".

"All right. I'll head to the one further west, grab someone on my way". She turned around, "Good luck!" she called as she leapt away.

Sheik turned around, offhandedly throwing a kunai at a passing Bokoblin.

 **Line Break**

Linkle spun around, firing off a dozen bolts from each crossbow. After each enemy fell, she jumped over their corpses, and sped off.

She them spotted a familiar flash of green.

She ran forward, jumping up and smashing her boots into the face of a Bokoblin Link was fighting.

She smiled brightly, "How's it going, Link?"

Link cleared his throat, "Linkle…hey…I'm fine".

She fired flaming bolts at a few Bokoblins. Link averted his gaze as a large blast engulfed the monsters. "You going somewhere?"

Proxi fluttered out from Link's hat, "Your being pretty casual about this".

Linkle frowned slightly, "Oh, am I? Sorry," she scratched the back of her head, "I'm not really used to these type of situations". A large smile found its way on her face, however, "But no worries, I am the Legendary Hero after all! There's nothing I can't handle!" She missed Link's eye twitch as she said that.

Link cleared his throat; "Anyway, I'm heading over to that Keep to the North…want to come along?"

Linkle nodded, "Sure. Race ya!" she said, dashing off.

"Energetic little thing isn't she?" Proxi grumbled as she flew back into Link's hat.

"She's…nice," Link said in reply.

So, he ran, slashing at the occasional Bokoblin as he made his way.

He found Linkle just in front of the keep, dancing between a pair of Darknuts.

His grip on his sword tightened, and he ran forward with a yell. He stabbed his blade at one of the Darknuts. It saw him, however, and held up its shield. Leaving it open to an attack from Linkle, who fired a charged shot into its back.

The monster fell forward, landing on its shield. Link hopped into the air, and sunk his blade into the Darknut. The monster cried out, then stilled.

Its partner froze at the sound of its screams, but before anything could come of it, Linkle appeared in front of it, her crossbows aimed at its chest.

"Goodbye!" she said cheerfully, releasing the fire-wreathed arrows.

The Darknut flew back, writhing, before it burned to ash.

Link pointed forward, "Keep's just over there".

Linkle reloaded her crossbows, "I got it!" she said as she sped off once more.

"Hold on!" Link called after her.

Linkle giggled as Link hurried to catch up. He was fairly slow compared to her.

She slid to a stop as she entered the keep, crossbows at the ready; and then her jaw drop. "You?!" she cried.

Link stopped next to her. He quirked his brow, "Who is that?"

An imp, wearing a strange, heart-shaped mask, yawned, leaning back as he floated down, "Oh, it's the cucco lady, and her…twin?"

"You're that imp from the forest!"

The imp flew forward in the blink of an eye. Link flinched backwards as unblinking, orange eyes examined him. "Ya know, 'imp' is pretty offensive. The name's 'The Skull Kid'. And yes, the 'The' is necessary".

The Skull Kid pulled out an Ocarina, and two orbs of light—one yellow, one purple—flew out from behind him. They spun Link around, who let out a small yelp.

"What's with the scarf anyway?" The Skull Kid played with the blue accessory. "Seems a bit long…"

Link shook himself out of his reverie, "Hey!" he said, spinning around, "Stop that!"

Linkle nodded, "Yeah! So do us a favor, leave!"

The Skull Kid sucked in a breath, floating backwards. "You see, I would do that, but then that crazy lady in the mask—which is not nearly as awesome as mine—would yell at me, and I just got rid of this wicked headache from I don't know where so…yeah".

Suddenly, he clapped his hands together, "I know! A game!"

Link stared at The Skull Kid in confusion, idly noting Linkle's soft mutter of, 'For the love of Nayru'.

"Hey!" Proxi flew out in front of The Skull Kid, "We don't have time to play games!"

The Skull Kid's orange eyes flashed dangerously, "Well, **Make Time** ".

With a tiny yelp, Proxi flew back into Link's hat.

Link and Linkle aimed their weapons at The Skull Kid.

Unfazed, The Skull Kid blew a few notes into his ocarina. Purple smoke spread around the keep.

Link and Linkle covered their eyes. When the smoke dissipated, they both groaned at the sight of a dozen large pots.

"Try and find me!" The Skull Kid's voice rang out.

Link and Linkle shared a look.

With a grimace Linkle moved forward. She picked out one of the pots, and shot it.

The rest of the pots disappeared. Then, a harsh buzzing sounded around them. Finally, a Dinolfos shot out from the pot with a mighty roar.

Linkle back flipped away, _"I wonder if everyone else is having as bad a time?"_

 **Line Break**

"Haha! You every bit as skilled as your reputation says". Volga shouted as he flipped over a blade of water.

Impa growled, dashing forward, "Out of my way!"

Volga hopped up, springing off of her blade. He landed behind her, "No chance!" he bellowed, shooting a spout of flame from the tip of his spear.

Imps brought her blade out in front of her, blocking the flame. She winced as the heat permeated through her blade.

Volga smirked, cutting off the flame. He ran forward with a roar, spear poised to strike.

He scowled when a blue barrier erected in front of him. He slid to a stop, then immediately jumped away when he saw it crackle.

Impa breathed a sigh of relief when Lana's barrier exploded.

The blue-haired sorceress bounded next to her, "Thank you, for that".

Lana smirked, "No problem!"

Volga growled lowly, "Two huh?" He smirked broadly, "I always did like a challenge".

 **Line Break**

Link wiped his brow, kicking aside the helmet left behind by the Darknut he and Linkle just slayed.

Proxi floated out of his hat. "Grah!" she cried, "That imp is really getting on my nerves!"

Link, panting lightly, could only nod in agreement.

Linkle walked over, "Well, your turn".

Link groaned lightly, but nonetheless walked over to the eight remaining pots.

He brought his sword up, prepared to strike, when a sound caught his attention.

His brow furrowed, and he followed the noise. "Hey," he heard Linkle run up to him, "What's wrong?"

"You hear that?"

Linkle frowned, "Hear wha-," she blinked; "Well now I do".

They walked forward, towards one of the pots. The sound was getting clearer. "Hmm…no, go away".

Link slashed at the pot. It crumbled away easily, revealing the sleeping figure of The Skull Kid. "Hmm…no," he feebly waved a hand; "I don't like fish…too salty".

Link and Linkle exchanged bewildered glances. Link cleared his throat, poking The Skull Kid with his blade, "Uh…hello?"

The Skull Kid yawned, stretching as he did so. He turned his head towards Link and Linkle. "Oh no…" he drawled, "You found me". He floated in the air, arching his back, "You couldn't have given me another ten, twenty minutes of naptime?"

Linkle stared at The Skull Kid incredulously, "You're the one that wanted to play a game!"

"Yeah," The Skull Kid crossed his arms, "But you guys are boring playmates".

He hung his head, "Ah, whatever". He held his hands in the air, "Oh no!" he mocked, "You got me! I am defeated!"

The three stared at each other for several moments, "…bye". The Skull Kid disappeared in a flash of purple light.

Linkle rubbed her eyes, staring at the spot where the Skull Kid was. "Huh?"

 **Line Break**

Volga sneered as he flipped over a wall of magic. "Is that the best you can do!?"

Impa grunted, sending a blade of water at Volga, "Cheeky, isn't he?"

Lana pursed her lip, "I've got an idea…Cover me".

Lana leapt forward.

Volga laughed, "Think you can take me on all on your lonesome, little witch?"

Lana puffed up her cheeks slightly, "Little?" she muttered.

She slid in front of him, swiping her book up and sending a wave of energy at Volga. The knight slashed through the wave with his spear, and leapt forward.

It was only after he saw Lana's smirk that he considered he might of have a mistake.

Unfortunately for Volga, a large burst of magic exploded from Lana, throwing him off balance.

Volga quickly brought up his spear to defend himself when he saw Lana swipe at him once more, only for his eyes to widen in alarm when his spear was easily swept aside.

He dodged to the left to avoid her second strike, only to suck in a breathe in pain when the blow caught him on his ribs.

Volga growled as two orbs of lightning crashed onto his head. He roared when a third orb blasted him backwards, into a magical wall, where he stayed.

He shook—partly in rage, partly in pain from electric shocks—as he struggled to get free. When the wall exploded, he let out a yell as he soared into the air. He managed to right himself before landing however, summoning flames into his hands, which formed into his spear.

It was too bad he didn't notice Lana floating in the air until a large orb of magic was just overhead.

Volga roared harshly as lightning coursed through his body.

He glared at Lana when she dropped from the sky, landing with a pose.

She sent him a small smirk.

"L-lucky girl," he panted, kneeling on the ground.

Lana smiled tiredly, and began to form a cube around the fallen knight.

"Masssster!"

Lana hopped backwards to avoid the sword strike of a Lizalfos. It swung again, only to be blocked by Impa.

Sheikah and Lizard stared at each through sparking metal. The Lizalfos reared its head, fire gathering in its maw.

With a smirk, Impa tilted her blade to the side. The Lizalfos's blade went crashing to the ground, opening it up to a swift punch in the snout. The monster flinched back, and then gurgled blood when Impa's blade cut through it diagonally.

Lana walked up to Impa, "Thanks".

Impa wiped some blood from her armor, "Don't mention it". She looked over to the empty where Volga used to lie, "…Shame we couldn't capture him".

Lana sighed, sending an orb of magic at an oncoming group of Bokoblins, "It's fine". A smile wormed its way on her face, "At least we captured the Keep!"

Impa smirked, "True".

 **Line Break**

Link let out a harsh yell as he spun around, slashing at writhing vines that blocked his path. He smirked at the deep cuts in the vines, which was quickly replaced with a frown when the plants stitched themselves together.

"Doesn't look like you can cut through it," a nearby captain said.

Link cursed, "I could try again…"

"Don't bother," Link turned at the sound of Sheik's voice, "They're obviously magic, and a blade simply won't cut it".

Link smirked, "…Was that a pun?"

Sheik blushed slightly.

"Hey there!"

Sheik, Link, and the nearby soldiers waved at Lana as she bounded in.

"Magic vines, huh?" Lana inspected the flora, "Hmm…I don't think I can fix this".

"Hahaha!" Link and his companions whirled around at the sound of Cia's voice echoing through the air, "Can't cut through that can you? Still…I don't like loiterers. Well, maybe I like one…" She giggled hysterically, "But, as for the rest of you…Get out!"

"Hey, everyone!" All present turned to the sight an oncoming soldier. He stopped just in front of them, panting slightly, "We've…got an engineer on the way to fix a bridge on the Eastern front. General Impa is escorting him now".

Lana nodded, looking at Sheik and Link, "You two make sure our Keeps are safe. I think I know a way to cut these down. I'll meet up with Impa at the bridge".

Link nodded, heading west, "Good luck!"

 **Line Break**

"Gah!" the Royal Engineer dove to avoid a wild swing.

Impa ran forward, slashing the offending Bokoblin down, "Here," she said, holding her hand out.

The engineer quickly pulled himself up, "Thank you, General," he sprinted forward once more; "I can see the bridge, just a few more yards".

He slid to a stop near the bridge's mechanisms, "Uh…"

"Can you fix it?"

The engineer chuckled slightly, "General," he said as he started to fiddle with the gears, "I didn't go through five years of engineering school to get stumped by a bridge".

He stepped back from the mechanism, and gave it a swift quick. The bridge crashed down.

Impa clapped the engineer on the shoulder "Good work".

The man saluted, "Thank you, General".

Impa dashed across the bridge. Two Darknuts ran up to meet her.

With a grunt, Impa rolled between the two, and then swung her blade in a wide arc behind her. She only caught one of the Darknuts in her attack, the other wisely moving away. Still, she spun around, continuing her assault on the injured monster.

She swung her blade, crashing against the monster's shield. She then leapt up, using the shield to gain extra height. She lifted her arms up, and then dropped them down.

Sharp blades of water rained down on the Darknut, pinning it to the ground, where it stayed.

She landed gracefully, staring at the remaining Darknut. The monster steadied itself, and then charged Impa.

Impa smirked at the challenge. She sheathed her blade, dashing forward with her hand on the hilt.

She unsheathed her blade a split-second before they clashed. Steel clanged against steel, and both swordsmen slid to a stop just a few feet away from each other.

The Darknut shuddered with a groan, and then crashed to the ground.

Imps sheathed her blade with a smirk.

"Impa!" the woman heard Lana shout.

Impa rolled her shoulders, "Lana, what's the current situation look like?"

Lana frowned, "There are these large vines blocking our path, but there's an item somewhere in the temple that can cut through it. Unless Cia threw it out," she muttered.

"Hmm, what was that?"

"Nothing," Lana shook her head, running forward, "Let's check the Keeps inside the temple!"

Impa and Lana ran into the main temple, felling any monster foolish enough to get in their way.

When the two entered the first room, a large troop of Bokoblins appeared in a harsh light, blocking the exits out of the first room.

Impa and Lana stopped. The Bokoblins collectively growled, standing their ground.

Impa scowled, "We don't have time to deal with this," she shifted her gaze to Lana, "You move on to the next chamber".

Lana frowned, gesturing widly, "There's a whole platoon of-"

Impa's sword crashed into the ground, Impa holding it horizontally. "Hop on".

Lana chuckled apprehensively, "You're kidding, right?"

"Now, Lana!"

Lana quickly stepped onto the blade. She waved her arms wildly, "Now that I think ab-"

Impa stomped her foot in front of her. A geyser of water erupted at the spot Impa's blade met the ground, greatly increasing Impa's swing.

Lana screamed at the top of her lungs as she was thrown through the air.

The Bokoblins followed Lana as she soared through the air.

Impa sliced through half their ranks.

Lana stumbled as she hit the ground. She took a moment to dust off her dress, "I…don't plan on doing that again".

She ran forward, thankfully, despite the stench of dark magic, the layout of the temple had not changed.

She found the second chamber, devoid of life, an ornate chest resting in the middle.

She cautiously moved forward. When she got within twenty feet, the chest disappeared, and monsters surrounded her.

She clenched her fist, "Cia!" she shouted to the sky, "That's just mean!"

 **Line Break**

Linkle bent down low to avoid the wild strike of a Lizalfos. Sheik leapt in quickly, kicking the beast in the chin, allowing Linkle to quickly shoot it in the chest.

The beast staggered backwards, before regaining its footing, and blowing a stream of fire at the young women.

Linkle yelped, backing away, while Sheik strummed a few notes on her harp, blocking the flame with a shield of water.

Linkle steadied herself just in front of the vines.

She then felt something whoosh over her head, and a ginormous boomerang smacked into the Lizalfos.

Linkle dashed forward, shooting a bomb into the beast's chest, pushing it backwards onto Link's blade.

Lana ran up next to Linkle, "I found a way to cut the vines". She handed the weapon—much smaller than when it flew through the air—to Linkle, "Here, for you".

Linkle frowned as she turned the item over in her hands, "Shouldn't you keep it?"

Lana smirked. She opened her spell book, an orb of blue light floating off of the page. The light dissipated, revealing an exact copy of the weapon. "In case you forgot, I've got magic".

"Oh that is so cool!" Linkle gushed.

Lana gestured behind her, "C'mon, if we hurry we can take down Cia!"

 **Line Break**

Cia smiled widely as the Gate of Souls surged with power. "Soon," she said, "Soon all will fall into place".

A yellow light flashed on her right hand, "Oh?" she smirked, "Oh…" she turned around, "Lin-" her words died in her throat when she saw who was in front of her.

Linkle (crossbows aimed at Cia) tilted her head, "'Lin-'? Did you mean 'Linkle'? How do you know my name?"

Cia stared at the young woman, jaw slightly open.

Then Link and Sheik ran up next to Linkle.

Cia shook her head slightly, _"There are more pressing matters at hand"_. She turned back to the Gate, arms spread up to the sky.

 **Line Break**

Impa leaned against a tree, panting lightly. She looked up to the main temple. _"Let's hope they can deal with Cia"_.

Then, the ground started to shake underfoot.

Impa drew her blade, "What is that?!"

"There!" a soldier pointed to the middle of the field.

A large, round, silver head burst from the ground; three more similar heads followed it.

Four sharp-toothed maws opened wide, and a loud roar echoed through the Valley as the monsters main body rose out of the ground.

Impa could sense the fear ripple through her soldiers.

She held her sword up high, "Men and women of Hyrule! Stand your ground," she dashed forward, "Fell this monster!"

She swung her blade at one of its heads. A loud clang rippled though the air.

Impa grimaced as four heads grinned cruelly at her.

They turned to the sky, opening their maws. Impa backpedalled away quickly, before poisonous gas pooled around the monster.

Impa scanned the monster, looking for some sort of weakness.

The monsters heads turned green, snapping its jaws at Impa.

Thinking quickly, Impa formed four blades of water, throwing one at each head.

She growled when the blades still bounced off of the beast.

The heads lunged forward, one by one. Impa managed to dodge the first two, but the third one hit her in the leg. She was lifted in the air, and the fourth head slammed her into the ground.

Impa groaned as she unsteadily stood up.

"General!" a captain ran over to Impa, helping her to her feet. "Here," she said, pulling out a bottle of red liquid, "Take this".

Impa downed the drink in one gulp. She stood up a bit straighter, wounds closing up in an instant, "Thank you".

Impa stared at the, well; slaughter the monster was committing against her men, zipping around and swinging its heads back and forth, plowing through soldier after soldier.

"What do we do, General?" the captain asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

Impa scowled, "Hold it off until more of our ranks can get here". As she said that, she drew her blade, rushing off to face the monster once again.

Impa sidestepped behind it, slashing at it unprotected back.

The beast growled, whirling around and knocking Impa back.

It opened its four maws, and after a moment, seeds shot out from high velocity.

Impa quickly held her sword up, shielding her body from the seeds.

She grunted as seeds exploded against her blade, pushing her back.

She peeked over her blade when the assault stopped, noting that its heads had changed to a green color once again.

She cursed, _"Obviously the color change indicates a weakness, but blades won't cut it!"_

Just then, a large boomerang sliced through the air, smacking two it the monster's heads. It groaned, the two heads retreating into its body.

Lana bound in next to Impa, "Hey. How are you holding up?"

Impa rolled her shoulder, "Well enough". She and Lana backed away from the monster. "What is this thing?"

"It's a Manhandla". Lana chuckled in disbelief, "I thought those things went extinct," she pursed her lips; "Cia's gotten more powerful than I thought".

Impa grunted, "We can worry about that later. Do you have another-"

A boomerang was shoved into her free hand. "Oh," Impa said, observing the weapon, "Thank you".

Lana pointed towards Manhandla, "After we knock out its four heads, its core body will expose itself".

Impa nodded, running forward.

The monster noticed Impa, and its two remaining heads shot seeds at her once again.

Since it was two heads down, Impa was able to flip over the barrage. When its heads turned green, she threw her boomerang at them. The weapon struck the heads, which retreated to the main body with the others.

The main body then peeled open, revealing a red, fleshy diamond, pulsing with life.

Impa sped towards it; "Now!" she cried out, "Strike with all your might!"

The soldiers around the monster cheered, and ran forward. They all gathered around the giant plant, slashing and striking all over its exposed interior.

After a moment, Manhandla regained its bearings, covering its exposed weakness. It spun around quickly, knocking back the army. As it spun, it dug into the ground, quickly disappearing.

Impa growled, "Where are you?"

"Look!" she heard someone say, "In the sky!"

She scanned the sky. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of five projectiles soaring through the air, heading south.

She cursed, "It's attacking our base!" She turned to her army, "Fan out! Search high and low! Pull it up by its roots if you have too! We cannot let our base fall!"

 **Line Break**

Sheik ran through the battlefield, having pinpointed the origin of one of the seeds.

She found one of its heads, and quickly threw her boomerang at it. The monster cried out when struck, and then the rest of its body sprung out of the earth.

Sheik rolled out of the way of some rubble. _"Ok,"_ she thought, _"Now all I have to do is hold it off…on my own…"_ Sheik grimaced, _"I hope someone is nearby"_.

An orb of blue light struck the monster.

Sheik sighed in relief, "Thank Din you're here, Lana".

Lana frowned, "Yeah, I was already nearby. We should really come up with a way to converse with each other across a battleground…Oh well, file that away for a later date".

Lana bounced on her feet; "Anyway, I've got a spell in mind that could help us out. Just," she let out a breath, "Stay close to Manhandla".

Lana and Sheik ran forward, surrounding the plant monster.

Suddenly, Sheik felt a substantial amount of energy flow into her body, as Manhandla's body glowed green.

Sheik flipped away from one of its swinging heads. Just then, she felt even more energy flow into her. She then saw a boomerang smack three of its heads, and followed its flight back into Link's hands.

Sheik smiled, this spell was working wonders.

Manhandla uncovered its weak point once again, and Link, Lana, and Sheik converged on it.

Spell, music, and blade assaulted the vital organ, causing it to cave in where the damage was heaviest.

Sheik sensed that the monster was nearing its end, and pulled out a kunai.

She ran up to it, slashing upwards as she jumped into the air. She then vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing high above, a kunai in each hand.

She hovered in the air for a second, before zooming down. She stuck her kunai deep into the monster, causing it to roar in agony.

She quickly jumped off, a satisfied smirk on her lips as the monster dissolved into nothing.

 **Line Break**

"Cia!" Lana called out, "Stop this, now!"

Link took a step towards the sorceress, only for a purple seal to flash into life underneath him.

Lana gasped, leaping backwards. Unfortunately leaving Sheik, Link, and Impa stuck in the trap.

Cia smirked, walking towards them.

Link growled, then the Triforce on his left hand started to glow fiercely.

"Sheik!" Link turned to look at the Sheikah, eyes widening in shock when he saw the Triforce on her own hand!

"How…?" Impa gasped.

Then, the two pieces of the Triforce flew from their hands, towards Cia.

Cia laughed as she collected the two pieces. "Thank you for bringing me the Triforce of Wisdom as well".

She summoned forth all three pieces, "I have all three pieces…" she held her arms up high. "Behold! The awesome majesty of the completed Triforce!"

"Oh no," Lana stepped back, "Link, run!" The four quickly ran away from Cia.

They ran as fast as they could, urging on every soldier they saw along the way.

When they were far enough away, Lana turned back to the Valley, trembling slightly at the large vortex reaching up to the sky.

She looked at her three companions, "Stay close to me," she said, as she formed a barrier of magic around them.

 **Line Break**

Linkle stared in horror as a large wave of energy headed straight for her and the soldiers. Then, a flash of golden light from her compass caught her attention.

She brought it up to eye level, which she quickly regretted when it flared even brighter.

"Gah! Geez!"

When she got her sight back, she stared in awe at a large golden barrier surrounding her and the army.

"Since when can your ratty old compass do that?"

Linkle puffed up her cheeks, "It's not a 'ratty old compass', Pip!"

"Wasn't it your grandmother's?"

Linkle glared fiercely, "It's not 'ratty'!"

"Hey!" a captain yelled at the duo, "If you're done arguing, you might want to take a look outside the barrier".

Linkle and Pip did as told, and leaned forward in shock as the landscape changed before their eyes; mountains rose in an instant, islands floated in the sky, the ground caved in, forming wide valleys.

Linkle covered her mouth, "Oh my…Farore".

 **A/N: Chapter's up and running. This one was pretty annoying to type up…can't really say why, just was. Regardless, be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **(P.S: I've fallen out of love with my title [wasn't all that hard to be honest]. If anyone's got a better one, I'm open to suggestion.)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Ain't no Mountain High Enough

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Link moaned, bringing his hands to his temples. He massaged them lightly, eyes screwed shut. After a moment, he tentatively opened them, and found himself staring at a brown ceiling, lying on a bed.

"Oh," he heard a high-pitched voice say. A red fairy flittered into his view, "You're up. The Fairy Queen will be happy to hear that".

Link slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, "Wh-," he cleared his throat, "Where am I?" he croaked. He rubbed his throat.

The fairy floated to a nearby table, pushing a pitcher and glass forward, "Here". Link gratefully took the items.

As he poured water for himself, the fairy said, "Thing's have been going crazy since you knocked yourself out".

"How so?"

"I don't know".

Link cocked a brow, but finished his drink. He set the glass down, "What do you mean?"

"I've been stuck here watching over you. Only thing I can say for sure is that the Great Fairies are going into overdrive".

Link nodded, hopping off of the bed. He stumbled slightly, the fairy flying closer to give him (minimal) support. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About three days".

"That long?"

The fairy nodded, "Yeah," she lead him out the shack they were in, "A few of us actually set up a betting pool for how long you'd stay knocked out".

Link frowned, "…Do I want to know what you bet?"

"Not really".

Link sighed, following the fairy towards the Fairy Queen.

Link saw dozens upon dozens of fairies—regular and Great—flit about all around him as he walked. Some waved at him, others just barely avoided crashing into him.

Soon, they two entered the clearing where Link had passed out just days ago.

Link froze at the sight of a large patch of dead grass. He moved forward, kneeling at its edge. He brushed a hand over the brown plants, watching them crumble.

" **That was quite a performance you gave,"** the Fairy Queen said amusedly.

Link turned on his heel, bowing lowly, "I apologize for any inconveniences, My Lady".

The Fairy Queen waved her hand dismissively, walking towards Link, **"No need to apologize. After all, you did drive off Majora"**. She then gave him a stern look, **"But don't put on that mask in this or any holy places. We got lucky last time"**.

Link nodded, standing up, "Of course". He reached into his satchel, pulling out the Fierce Deity mask, "I should have known better anyway. I've only used in in areas tainted by dark magic…and once at a fishing hole," he added as an afterthought.

" **Wha-"**

"I was curious".

The Fairy Queen chuckled incredulously, **"You transformed into a god to go fishing?"**

Link smirked, "It was a really big fish".

He then frowned, "My Lady, I don't suppose you know the reason I am here, ripped from the afterlife, do you?"

She shook her head, **"I am afraid I do not…I cannot say I am entirely ungrateful that you are here, however"**.

Link nodded his head slowly, "There is that…I suppose".

The Fairy Queen sighed, **"…Anyway, I'm sure you want to know what you've missed over the last few days"**.

"Yes, please," Link replied.

So, the Fairy Queen told Link what had transpired between the Hylian Army and Cia's forces. When she told him that Cia had managed to collect all three Pieces of the Triforce, he frowned, "Wait, so, what has she done with her power?"

The Fairy Queen waved her arm, **"See for yourself,"** and a map formed in front of them.

Link peered at the ethereal map, eyes widening as three parts of the map glowed, and large structures formed there. He looked closer at the mountain that suddenly grew, "Is that…?"

The Fairy Queen nodded, **"That is Death Mountain as it was known in your lifetime. Along with Darunia,"** Link turned his head sharply, **"his tribe, and a small cadre of Zora led by Princess Ruto"**.

Link stared wistfully at the mountain.

The Fairy Queen held her arms behind her back, **"Would you like to see them?"**

Link smiled, "Oh, it would be great to see Darunia again after so long".

" **And what of Ruto?"**

Link grimaced, "I'd rather not".

The Fairy Queen frowned, **"I am afraid I don't understand. I was under the impression you were friends"**.

"A gross overstatement," Link pulled at his collar, "We might have been friends, in one timeline, but when I was sent back to before Ganondorf rose to power…"

 **Line Break**

Link rubbed his head, then immediately regretted it when the slimy saliva of Lord Jabu-Jabu's mouth stuck to his hair and hat.

He stepped forward, and then immediately hopped back when two octorocks emerged from the shallow fluid in front of him. Link felt a pang of sadness pierce his heart at the lack of a blue orb of light with wings hovering between the two monsters.

He shook his head, dispelling those thoughts. They would do him no good. After dispatching the two with well-timed blocks, he moved past the chamber and into the next one, stopping just before the door leading to where he knew Princess Ruto was.

He pulled out a Deku nut, tossing it slightly in the air, before he entered the next room.

Ruto didn't even have time to turn around.

 **Line Break**

The Fairy Queen fell over, holding her sides as her laughter echoed throughout the forest.

Link, blushing brighter than a red rupee, cleared his throat, "Not my proudest moment, I will admit".

The Fairy Queen did not respond, still in the throes of laughter. After a moment, her merriment subsided. **"Hahahahaa…"** she smiled brightly, gazing up at the sky, **"…I needed that…things have been awfully dreary since this Cia woman decided to mess things up, and wrap Skull Kid up in her nefarious schemes,"** she added bitterly.

Link tilted his head, "How did you meet Skull Kid anyway?"

The Fairy Queen blushed, and coughed into her hand, **"That is not important"**.

Link smirked, "Very well, My Queen". A serious expression then wormed onto his face, "Where is Majora now?"

The Fairy Queen sighed deeply, **"Everywhere, it seems"**. She gestured to the map, now with several red dots blinking all throughout it.

Link took one look at the map, then pointed, "Death Mountain," he said, "That is where he will cause the most trouble".

" **How can you be sure?"**

"Because that is the home of one of my oldest friends," Link glared hard at the projection, "And the temptation is too sweet for Majora to pass up".

The Fairy Queen nodded, **"Very well, you shall be dropped off at the nearest fountain. Before that, however,** " she smiled, holding her arms above her head, **"Some parting gifts"**.

Rings of white light flew down from the sky, enveloping Link. The man in a boy's body allowed a small smile to grace his face, letting the warm energy wash over him, lifting him slightly above the ground. The light quickly became too bright to bear, and he shut his eyes.

After what felt like a blissful eternity, the energy began to wane. Link touched the ground. He looked over his body, smiling widely at the sight of green, along with a familiar snugness wrapped around his head.

He pat his hat affectionately, "As much as I appreciate this, the light show as a bit much, no?"

The Fairy Queen smirked, **"Check inside your satchel"**.

Link did as asked. He frowned when something glinted deep in it, and reached down to grab it. When he pulled the item out, he almost dropped it in shock.

He held a large, double-edged blade in his hands. With a green hilt, and what looked liked green and purple petals for a guard. The blade itself was a mix of thee colors. Purple at the tip, and where the blade met the guard. Pink on its edges. And what looked like a slab of green in the middle of the blade, black roses etched on it.

Link hefted the blade, giving it a few experimental swings. "Huh, I always liked this blade. A shame I never kept it to adulthood, it would have served me well in the army".

The Fairy Queen snorted, **"That would have been unfair to your peers, no?"**

"Your point being?"

Another snort, **"Let's be on our way now, hmm?"**

 **Line Break**

"Really Ruto, I'm very sorry, I have no idea what happened".

The Zora princess sighed, "I already told you Darunia there's nothing to forgive". She puffed her cheeks slightly, "Though you could have left me with some good water, not whatever that swill was".

Darunia frowned, "I'll have you know that my finest men gathered that water from the depths of Dodongo cavern".

"You mean those gross lizards used it!"

Darunia shrugged, "Maybe?"

Off to the side, Impa cleared her throat, "Princess Ruto, Sir Darunia".

Darunia stomped his foot, "It's just Darunia! No need to stand on formalities Impa-but-not-the-Impa-I-know".

Impa crossed her arms, "Right…anyway," she turned to Ruto, "You said that there was some item in the Water Temple that could help us?"

Ruto nodded, "Yeah. Some hero left an item there that is able to see past illusions, or something. It'll help out I'm sure".

Darunia nodded, "Yes, I've heard rumors about such an item. I think it was originally found in a well underneath Kakariko".

Impa frowned, "Where did you hear that?"

"Well," Darunia beat his chest, "One of my sworn brothers is an excellent storyteller!"

Impa nodded, "Right…anyway, we should head out".

Ruto nodded, "I need to find my guards". She turned to Darunia "Where'd you hold them anyway?"

Darunia waved a hand, "Don't worry, they're safe at the base of the mountain". He then turned to Impa; "I'll join up with you all later. We're going to need some time to regroup and heal up, after that massive beating you gave us".

Impa started to bow, but Darunia waved his hands in front of her, "Hey!" he smiled, "Don't worry about it! It was a good fight!" He patted her hard (for anything not a Goron) on the shoulder. "Go ahead and set up a basecamp near the Temple. We'll be there!"

Impa nodded, rubbing her shoulder, "Right". She turned to Ruto, "We'll meet you and your guards at the southern base of the mountain".

Ruto nodded. She turned around, said, "See you all later," and dashed towards her guards.

Darunia sighed, "I remember when she was just this tall," Darunia held his hand to just above his bellybutton, "Man, how time flies".

Impa nodded, smiling wistfully, "…We shall meet you a few miles East from the temple".

Darunia smiled widely, "Take care!" and then turned to go help out his injured brothers.

A few hours later, and the (relatively ancient) Goron forces were raring to go.

"All right brothers!" Darunia stood outside his room, smiling broadly at his brethren, "I have no idea what's going on out there, but someone tried to trick us into attacking our allies. And that will not stand!"

Cheers erupted from the assembled Gorons.

He beat his chest, "Now, let's get goi-" the ground shaking beneath them interrupted the rest of his speech.

Darunia grabbed his hammer, running outside. "What's going on?!"

One of his lieutenants pointed forward, "Look, Chief!"

Darunia peered down the mountain, eyes widening when he saw large purple explosions litter the ground, bulbin, Dinolfos, and Lizalfos emerging from the blast.

Gritting his teeth, Darunia turned around to face his brethren once more. "All right," he slammed his hammer to the ground, "Change of plans! We're going to beat these monsters off of our mountain, and then join up with the others!"

The Gorons cheered, and scattered to defend the immediate outposts.

Darunia faced the monster horde, and with a wide smile, leapt down the mountainside with a hearty yell.

 **Line Break**

Darunia growled as he swung his hammer in a wide arc, sending a Lizalfos and half a dozen bulbin flying off Death Mountain.

He heard a low hiss behind him, and quickly whirled around. When he saw a Lizalfos shooting flame from its maw, he brought up the head of hammer to block it.

Then two more Lizalfos joined it, and Darunia slid back slightly from the force of the flames.

Darunia growled as the jets of flame pushed him further back. But before he could launch a counter-attack, another Goron rolled into view.

The Goron uncurled behind the monsters. He then grabbed the outer two by their heads, and slammed then into the middle one. While the beasts were dazed, he grabbed them by their tails, spun around a few times, and then let them go, sending them screaming into the distance.

Darunia hefted him hammer atop his shoulder, "Ah, thanks broth-who the heck are you?"

The Goron in front of him was not one Darunia recognized, and he knew all of his brethren. Oddly enough, this Goron looked similar to himself. Well, only in regards to his body. The Goron's hair was less spiky.

Darunia walked forward, "I've never seen you before—nice necklace by the way".

The Goron cleared his throat, "Thank you. And my name is, uh, Darmani".

Darunia failed to notice Darmani cringe as he said his name.

Darunia rubbed his chin, "'Darmani' huh…what's with the loincloth?"

Darmani blinked, "Oh, um, I'm from the far north…it's very cold".

Darunia stared hard at Darmani, before nodding his head, "Makes sense I suppose".

Darunia failed to notice Darmani's sigh of relief.

"Well," Darunia said, "I wish we could have met under more hospitable circumstances, brother".

Darmani chuckled, "Don't worry, brother," he smacked his fists together; "There are worse ways to spend an afternoon".

"That's the spirit!" Darunia bellowed, thumping his chest.

Darmani smirked, "I'll check out how the others are faring," he turned around, "Good luck brother!"

Then Darmani curled into a ball, and to Darunia's shock, spikes shot out from his body, greatly increasing his speed and destructive power.

Darunia laughed loudly, "By Din that is amazing!" He ran towards a group of Bulbin, "I need to learn how to do that!"

 **Line Break**

Link had to admit he was having fun.

He lifted an arm up, hardening it to block the strike of a Dinolfos.

Though the circumstances were far, far from ideal, seeing Darunia again was a welcome change of pace.

Link grabbed the blade, pulling the monster close, head-butting it.

He did wonder exactly from when Darunia and Ruto were pulled from.

The Lizalfos, having regained its bearings, swung its tail, which bore an axe, at Link.

Of course, it wasn't as though he could just ask either of them right out.

Link grabbed the beast's tail, and slammed it into the ground. He drew it closer, and with a flame-engulfed fist, slammed it into the monster's chest.

Link rolled away from the corpse, heading towards a group of Gorons that were surrounded by monsters.

Link summoned magic from deep in his being, and fire engulfed his body.

He waved between the monsters, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. After making two full circles, he stopped, hopped up in the air, and slammed into the earth. The explosion of fire and rock made short work of the monsters.

While Link dusted himself off, the group of Gorons stared at him in awe.

"Woah…"

"Who's that?"

"I think its Dartani".

"No, no, no, it's Darmani!"

"I heard he's a fearsome warrior from the north".

"Three cheers for Darmani!"

"Hey!" An irate Darmani/Link interrupted their jubilation, "Could you please focus on the task at hand?"

One of the Gorons nodded, "Oh, right…"

"We can celebrate after!"

The Gorons all cheered, and ran in different directions.

Link chuckled lightly, before curling into a ball and rolling away.

 **Line Break**

Darunia ran a hand across his brow. He'd had his doubts that he and his people could successfully drive away the monsters. But then that Goron from the north, Darmani, appeared like some sort of divine warrior, and zipped around the battlefield assisting any and every Goron that he came across.

Darunia smiled broadly. He'd have to travel north one day, maybe set up some sort of trade with them.

"Oh wait," he mumbled, "I'm actually in the future…His tribe might not even exist back home. Or it might, but he won't".

He idly struck the earth, fire erupting in front of him, burning several bulbin to a crisp.

"Ah well," he said aloud, "I'll deal with that later".

He swept his eyes across the battlefield, satisfied at the lack of monster's running around his mountain.

"RAHHHH!"

"L-l-look," he heard one of his brother's shout, "Up that ridge!"

Darunia followed where his brother pointed, and froze in fear as a large, green and gray scaled lizard rolled down towards him.

"K-K-King Dodongo!" he heard someone cry.

The infernal dinosaur roared, flames shooting from it mouth, scorching the earth.

Then, the beast turned its attention to Darunia and his nearby brothers.

The Gorons, faced with a living nightmare, froze under its gaze, even as it started to gather fire in its maw.

A loud rumble caught their attention, and the assembled Gorons barely had time to blink before a round, spiky object rammed into the monster, slamming it into a wall.

The Gorons watched in awe as Darmani uncurled, and proceeded to slam his fists into the Dodongo's stomach.

The beast soon regained its bearings however, and swiped a claw at Darmani. Fortunately, the Goron saw the attack coming, and back flipped away.

After that, Darunia growled. He turned to face his brethren, "Brothers!" he bellowed, "Are we so cowardly that we must rely on a visitor to defend our mountain?!"

There was a loud chorus of "NO!"

Darunia pointed his hammer towards King Dodongo and Darmani, "Then let us defeat that beast! Together!" That said, Darunia charged, his brethren following close behind.

Link panted slightly as he rolled to avoid a tail swipe, stumbling slightly when the tail struck the ground right beside him.

Before the beast could make another move, however, a hammer struck its face.

Link turned his head, smiling at the determined expression of Darunia's face.

"Ready?!" Link turned around, smirking at the sight of dozens of Gorons hefting large boulders. "Fire!" The Gorons threw the boulders with all their might.

The beast roared as boulders broke along its back. It then whimpered when Darunia swung his hammer upward, catching it on its chin.

Link hopped backwards, "Darunia!" he shouted.

The Goron chief looked back.

"Step away!"

The chief did so.

Link curled into a ball, spikes shooting out of his body. He rolled in place for a moment, before rocketing forward. He rammed into the Dodongo's had, forcing it backwards. Link then leapt high in the air, unfurling as he did so. He slammed his fists together, wreathing them in flames, and then soared down onto the monster's back. The impact made a sickening * _crunch*_ , and the beast roared in agony. Link leapt off the Dodongo, landing next to Darunia—a satisfied smirk on his face—as the beast stilled, lifeless.

Darunia pat Link hard (even for a Goron) on the back. "Darmani!" he said, "You are a true Goron amongst Gorons".

Link smiled softly, "Well, I've had some good role models".

Another roar caught their attention, and the two turned to see another King Dodongo, its head rising over a cliff.

Darunia growled, "Another one!"

Link merely sighed. "…Take care, Darunia".

Before Darunia could question those words, Link had curled into a ball, spikes jutting out of his body, shooting towards the Dodongo.

Darunia and the other Gorons could only watch, rooted in place, as Link/Darmani covered his entire body in bright fire, increasing his speed.

The flame wreathed Goron slammed into the Dodongo's jaw, sending it and him flying off Death Mountain, the beast roaring all the way.

Darunia shook himself from his reverie, running towards the edge of the cliff. He kneeled over the edge, looking for any hint of Darmani.

He found none.

His brethren assembled around him, a sad current washing over them all, tears falling down more than a few faces.

Then, Darunia slammed his hammer on the ground beside him, and rose to full height. "Brothers!" he called out, turning to face his tribe, "Cry now, but not for long!" He heaved a great breath, "For we had the pleasure, if only for a few hours, to fight alongside a true Goron Hero!"

The Gorons mood lifted steadily as their chief spoke. When Darunia finished, someone yelled, "Cheer for Darmani!"

"DARMANI! DARMANI! DARMANI!"

Far down the base of the mountain, Link sat up on the Dodongo's corpse, rubbing his temples. He perked up, however, when he heard the Gorons cheering.

A smile on his face, Link climbed down the dinosaur's corpse, and rolled away, heading for the Water Temple.

 **A/N: So, FYI, finals are coming up, and so I don't know when the next update is going to go up. Regardless, the Water Temple level is coming up, and with it are Princess Ruto…and Zora Link…that'll be fun! Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Watery Madness

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Impa crossed her arms over her chest, "You're sure you can grab the Lens and get out? You won't need any help?"

Ruto smirked, "Of course! Besides," she took a moment to flex her fins, "you and your troops won't be of much help underwater".

Impa nodded, "True. Still this," Impa growled lowly, "imposter will have most likely increased whatever defenses the temple has".

One of Ruto's guards nodded his head, "We realize that, but we should be fast enough to grab the item and leave before any traps are set".

"All right then," Impa uncrossed her arms, "I'd suggest you both gather up your forces, and familiarize yourself with this era's forces," she added.

Darunia beat his chest, "Of course. The Gorons of today has such interesting metal pieces…would it mess up time if I brought some back when all this is over?"

Ruto shrugged, walking out the command tent, "I hope not. I've noticed some of this era's Zora have lovely bracelets, and I don't plan on leaving without one".

Impa sighed as the 'ancient' leaders left her sight. She just wanted to find this item, expose this damn impersonator and, well, she had read enough about her ancestors more…dark history.

With a grim smile, Impa left the tent as well.

After a moment, the air shimmered in one of the corners, revealing Link's frowning face.

" _Things really have changed,_ " he thought as he carefully walked to the table, _"My Impa—or any Sheikah for that matter—would have at least suspected I was there"_.

He looked over one of the open maps with interest, _"Hmm…surrounded by a lot of water…so it's either going to be Morpha or Gyorg…I hope it's the latter"._

 **Line Break**

Ruto rushed through the battlefield, her small force of Zora deftly striking down any approaching monsters. Ruto frowned slightly—she wasn't some helpless child, she could take care of herself!—but she wouldn't verbally complain.

She ducked under a Lizalfos's wild swing, sending forth a thin wave of water at the monster, bowling it over.

She turned towards the Temple, smirking as the water-filled entrance fully entered her sights. "Get ready!" she called behind her.

She then dove, gracefully of course, into the water.

She swam into the temple, carefully eyeing her surroundings. She idly noted the other Zora swim up beside her.

"This place is…barren," one of this era's Zora, Mina if Ruto remembered correctly, noted.

Luka, the captain of her era's guard, hummed, "Stay vigilant. I doubt they would make this place their base if they didn't have some form of defense".

"We'll worry about that when we get to it, come on!" Ruto said. She sprung forward, startling the current era's Zora, though her own merely sighed.

"Always so impatient," Luka muttered.

The group quickly swam forward to catch up to the princess, "I thought Queen Ruto was a veritable font of Patience and Wisdom?" one of the current era's Zora muttered.

Luka and the rest of Ruto's guards laughed, "Well," Luka managed to breath out, "She's not queen yet".

"Hey!" they heard Ruto yell, "Hurry up you slowpokes!"

Their laughter quickly subsided, and they all made their way to Ruto, who was floating in front of a large room, with a chest sitting in the middle.

Luka frowned heavily, "…This is too easy".

"So it's a trap," someone else stated.

"…Anyone have a hookshot?"

Ruto scowled, "Well, nothing's going to get done by just floating here". She carefully entered the room, spinning around slowly to scan the entire room.

She floated just above the chest, the other Zora readying their weapons.

Ruto sank to the bottom. When her feet touched the floor, the chest was surrounded in a flash of light, and disappeared.

Ruto resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Foolish little fish," she heard a feminine voice sneer, "You've gone and gotten yourself trapped in my net".

Holes suddenly opened up in the walls, and skeletal fish started to pour into the room.

Then the doors started to close.

Luka cursed, "Everyone out!"

But the fish grouped up, blocking the way.

Ruto snarled, waving her arms forward, sending tiny blades of water at the school. She smirked when a hole formed, which quickly turned into a frown as the hole filled up.

Luka and the other Zora swam closer to Ruto, "Dammit! This is going to be close!"

One of the Zora slowly raised her arm, "What's that?" she said, pointing towards the door.

The group spared a collective glance out the closing door, growing puzzled at the rapidly approaching shape.

Then, right as it reached the doors, a bright-blue energy field surrounded the figure.

To the group's growing surprise, it started to rapidly weave through the large group of monster fish, killing them by the dozen.

After the last monster fell, the light died down, and the figure, which turned out to be another Zora, floated in place.

Cautiously, the group swan towards this new Zora.

He looked different, that much was for sure. Most Zora either wore armor, or nothing more than some jewelry. This one wore leather boots, gloves, a leather choker, and a belt holding up a green skirt. His scales were odd as well, being a mix of green and yellow on the fins on his arms, green down his head, and with yellow scales on fins on either side of his face.

Luka leveled his spear at this mysterious Zora, "Who are you?"

The Zora held up his arms, smiling cockily, "Relax. The name's Mikau, and it looked like you all could use some help".

Mina, one of the Zora from the current era, frowned, "I don't recognize you, you aren't from the tribe," her contemporaries voiced their agreement, "Where are you from?"

Mikau shrugged, "I travel from place to place".

"That's not an answer".

"More importantly," Ruto interrupted, swimming towards Mikau, "How did you form that barrier?"

Mikau set his face in a line, "Good question. It's actua—Behind you!"

The Zora whirled around at Mikau's shout, jolting at the trio of large skeletal fish rushing towards them.

The guards readied their weapons, but it was ultimately unneeded as two projectiles flew in from the either side of the fish, cutting through each of them.

The Zora followed the strange projectiles as they continued their flight path, shock evident on their faces as the projectiles attached to Mikau's arms. The fins then shrunk into the Zora's arms.

Mikau rolled his shoulders, his smirk growing once more, "I can do that to".

Mina's face scrunched up, "Is that healthy?"

Mikau smirked, "I'm not dead yet," he then frowned, "poor choice of words," he muttered to himself.

Ruto frowned as well, crossing her arms over her chest, "Regardless, I-we didn't need your help".

Mikau nodded, "That may be so, but it's better to be safe than sorry". He then shifted his eyes upward. A small portal had appeared. He extended his fins, "And we've got company".

 **Line Break**

Darunia rubbed his chin in thought as he stared in the direction of the temple. "They've been gone awhile".

Sheik nodded, absentmindedly-throwing kunai at an approaching bulbin, "Indeed…they must have run into some trouble".

Darunia scowled, "We should have gone in with them!"

"In fairness, they are a group of a dozen Zora".

"Still, we should find a way inside".

Sheik hummed, "I think there is a floodgate near the temple. I'll get to it, open a path".

Darunia twirled his hammer, "Okay, I'll find Impa, tell her what you're doing".

Sheik didn't respond, already sprinting towards the temple.

As she ran she spotted a group of soldiers surrounded by Poes.

Grabbing a handful of needles, she turned towards the group. She threw the needles at the largest one, before jumping on its back.

She pulled out two kunai, driving them into its head, flipping off before a blast of purple fire could hit her.

This gave the soldiers the chance they needed to push back against the other monsters. The soldiers worked as one, three stabbing a Poe each.

After the last monster dissipated into mist, half of the unit fell either on their back or knees. "What's the point?" one of them muttered.

Sheik frowned, "What do you mean?"

The captain scowled, "Nothing, he meant nothing".

"Get real, man!" Another soldier yelled, "Princess Zelda turned coat and sided with these monsters! How are we supposed to deal with that?!" 

The captain whirled on his subordinate, "We have a duty to protect the people of Hyrule!"

"We also swore an oath to follow the Royal Family!"

"Gentlemen!" Sheik shouted angrily. All eyes turned to her. She took a calming breath, "…Regardless of what the Princess has done, let's focus on getting through this battle alive, okay?"

The unruly soldiers started to grumble. "…Fair enough," she heard a few say.

The captain sighed, "Thank you, Sheik".

Sheik nodded, "No problem. And don't worry about the, uh, Princess". Sheik clenched her fists, "I'm sure everything will work itself out".

 **Line Break**

Luka grumbled under his breath as he swept aside a giant clam.

"Hm, something the matter?" Mina asked.

Luka turned his head slightly, "It's that Mikau character".

"He is certainly impressive," Mina said, just as Mikau dodged an eel's bite, grabbing its tail, swinging it around into a skeletal fish, then electrocuting both of them.

Luka scowled, "But where did he come from? I certainly don't know him, and neither do you".

Mina nodded, "Could he have been sent by that witch, Cia?"

"Perhaps".

Just then, the sound of gears moving started to reverberate through the room.

Water started to filter out of the room. As the last bit of water finally disappeared, the remaining monsters were left floundering on the ground. The Zora made quick work of them.

Impa quickly rushed into the room, "Are you all safe?"

Ruto nodded, "Of course! Who do you think I am?"

There was a flash of light to her right.

She and Impa turned, to see Mikau open a chest. He pulled a large purple item out of the chest. He turned it in his hands, eyes widened, "This thing is massive…"

Impa's hand drifted to her sword, "Who are you?"

Ruto crossed her arms, "He's Mikau, a Zora from this era".

No one heard Luka mutter, "Apparently".

Mikau walked up to Impa, holding the item out in front of him, "Looks like some sort of giant magnifying glass".

Impa frowned, "Of a sorts," she said, holding the item up to face.

She slowly turned around; growing irritated, as the lens did nothing more than turn her world purple.

Then, she saw some strange script on a wall far south. She peered closer, and to the surprise of all in the room, the wall disappeared, revealing an equally shocked 'Princess Zelda', as well as a Gate of Souls.

Impa smirked, pocketing the lens, "We have our targets, charge!"

 **Line Break**

Wizzro (beneath the mask of Zelda) cursed violently. He then forced himself to calm down, just because they found the room didn't mean anything.

" _Still,"_ he thought as he raised 'his' arm, an orb of purple energy forming in 'his' palm, _"Doesn't hurt to be cautious"_.

 **Line Break**

Darunia let out a breath as he picked some specks of dirt off of his hammer. The battle was coming to a close. The area above the temple had been cleared of monsters, and Impa's forces had footholds in all major areas. It all lead to a decidedly bored Darunia, who was beginning to regret promising Impa that he would keep an eye on things topside.

His thoughts then turned to Darmani, the Goron who gave his life for the safety of a tribe that wasn't his own. Or, more specifically, the tickle the name put upon his brain.

He scowled, sitting down and rapping a fist against his skull. He knew the name, that much was certain, but from where? It wasn't anyone from his tribe; he knew every single name and face.

Before he could think further on the subject, a flash of purple light caught his eye.

With a sigh, he stood up, hefting his hammer on hi shoulder, "Here we go again".

GRAAHH!

Darunia froze in place.

He turned, slowly, to face the familiar noise.

A King Dodongo quickly came into view, unfurling from its balled form just meters away.

He shifted his eyes over the field, noting that there wasn't really anyone fit to fight the beast. Other than himself, that is.

The beast turned to a group of weary soldiers, who grouped up and held up their shields (or fists in the case of the Gorons) as fire gathered in its maw.

Then a hammer slammed into its lower jaw, tossing it to the side.

"All right then!" he bellowed, hefting his hammer, "I'll end you myself!"

 **Line Break**

Link smirked as he flipped over a Stalfos, jamming his elbow into its spine, sending it crumbling to the ground.

He then frowned as he saw that he, Ruto, and Luka were still surrounded by monsters.

He shifted his gaze forward, idly noting Sheik and Impa engaging the imposter Zelda. Specifically, Sheik using her harp to send out magic attacks.

A thoughtful frown wormed its way onto his face. He jumped back to get closer to Luka and Ruto, pulling out his fishbone guitar from his pouch.

He strummed a chord, frowning at a sour note.

Luka heard the noise, and whirled around, staring disbelievingly at the Zora, who was now tuning his instrument. "What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?" Link replied, strumming another chord.

"Are you mad?!" Luka yelled as he stabbed his spear at a Stalchild.

"Gotta say Mikau," Ruto said as she sent a blade of water into a Lizalfos, "Now is not the time for music".

Link said nothing, merely grinning as he readjusted his grip on his instrument.

He focused on the magic deep inside his being, taking a deep, calming breath. He then played a single, loud note. All nearby stopped, incredulous.

And a musical note made of blue electricity came into existence just above his head, which then shot out and disintegrated a Stalchild.

With a wild smirk, Link quickly played a series of chords, more notes forming around him, and subsequently killing more and more monsters.

Ruto, Luka, and the nearby soldiers gawked at the magically destructive performance.

Ruto stared at Mikau in undisguised awe. She stared at his movements, his passion, and his sheer joy at what he was doing. She was so busy staring, she didn't notice her cheeks blush.

Soon, however, Link started to run out of ways he could meaningfully string notes together. So he lifted his right arm high, bringing it crashing down on his guitar. And explosion of blue electricity soon followed, obliterating every enemy in sight.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, panting heavily.

He then noticed that everything was deadly quiet.

He looked around, noting that everyone was staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

Luka spoke first, "It's just, um, I don't think anyone has ever seen anything like that before".

Ruto nodded, clearing her throat, "Y-yeah! Where did you learn that?"

"Just thought of it now actually".

Ruto's eyes (along with everyone in earshot's distance) widened. "What?!" Ruto screamed, stomping towards the Zora, "What do you mean?!" she leaned in close, staring up at him.

Link stepped back, holding his arms up, "Hey, it all worked out".

"We could have been electrocuted!"

Link sighed, "If it wasn't going to work the first note would have…" he then trailed off, as he saw a familiar figure in the chamber where the Gate of Souls lied.

In said chamber, Wizzro groaned as his illusion fully disappeared. "H-how did you see though…?"

Impa shook her head, "I'll admit, when I first heard about this, I was confused," she glared at the specter, "But the real Princess would never support the likes of you monster!"

Sheik smirked, "Besides…You couldn't possibly be Zelda". She then spun in place, Triforce glowing on her hand. A bright light enveloped her figure, forcing Impa and the nearby soldiers to avert their gazes. The light soon disappeared, revealing the ever-graceful form of the true Princess Zelda.

Zelda held her hand up, a rapier forming from light, which she grasped, "For I am her".

Impa stared at her charge, "Princess…"

Zelda turned her head slightly, "I'm sorry Impa, but I had to-"

"RAH!"

Everyone whirled around at the yell. Several soldiers then stepped back, as a Zora with a furious expression on his face sprinted forward.

The Zora leapt high over Impa and Zelda (the former having drawn her blade). They then stared on as the Zora's boot slammed into Wizzro's face, sending the specter flying into a wall.

Wizzro shook his head, then cried out in pain as a fist rammed into his eye. He blinked away tears, yelping when he saw the Zora rear another fist back. He quickly disappeared in a black fog.

Link growled as his fist slammed into stone. He heard someone clear his or her throat, and looked behind him. He stepped away from the wall; pointing to the Gate of Souls, "Don't let me stop you".

Zelda chuckled lightly, "Uh, right. Come on Impa," the Sheikah sheathed her blade, "Let's do this together".

Impa smiled, raising her hand along with Zelda. An orb of light formed in front of them, which then shot forward at the gate. As it made contact, a seal formed over the gate, which disappeared into nothing after a moment.

Impa turned to Zelda, "Princess…I-"

The sound of gears moving interrupted her.

Water started to fill the room.

Impa whirled around, "Everyone out!" she roared.

 **Line Break**

Darunia panted as the King Dodongo fell over, dead. He leaned on his hammer as a Goron quickly ran over, holding out a bottle full of red liquid. "Chief Darunia," the Goron said in awe, "That was amazing!"

Darunia smirked, finishing the drink in one gulp, "Of course!" Darunia scratched his chin, "It'll make a great story! Might even rival one of brother Li…" he trailed off, eyes widening immensely.

The Goron tilted his head, "Hm! Brother who, Chief?"

"…Is it even possible?" Darunia mumbled.

"What?"

"Hm," Darunia shook his head, "Uh, nothing".

They heard rumbling come from the temple, and turned to look just in time to see a mass of people exit the temple, followed by a massive wave of water.

"Hey," a soldier called out, "Isn't that Princess Zelda?"

"It is!"

"Our Princess has returned!"

Cheers erupted throughout the field.

Darunia however, simply stared at a single Zora, with green and yellow scales.

The Zora in question stared at the now flooded temple, frowning hard.

He felt someone jostle his shoulder, and turned to see it was Luka who did so.

Luka grunted, "I still have no idea where you came from…but you had your uses".

Link rolled his eyes, "Thanks, that means so much".

Luka growled lightly.

"Oh," they heard Ruto say, "There you two are".

Ruto and the rest of the Zora crowded around the two.

One of the current era's Zora clapped Mikau on the back, "Man, where'd you learn to play like that?"

Mina chuckled, "Forget the instrument, since when can a Zora control electricity?"

Link crossed his arms over his chest, "It's just magic," he coolly replied.

Ruto scoffed, "Please," she held up her hand, an orb of water forming in her palm, "This," she pointed to the sphere, "is the only kind of magic I've ever known a Zora to do".

Link shrugged, "Well, what can I say? It might just be a…did you hear that?"

Everyone frowned, "Hear what?" Luka asked.

Link pushed through the crowd. He stood at the water's edge, "…Something's in the water".

Those in earshot tensed, though after a moment in which nothing occurred, the tension released.

A Hylian soldier let out a breath, "I think you're a bit jumpy there".

Link scowled, "I'm telling you-" A loud splash and a roar far to the left interrupted him.

Link whirled around, glaring at the sight of a gargantuan red fish flying through the air. It boomed into the water, bobbing to the surface, glaring at the land forces. It opened its maw slightly and (to the disgust of a few) a massive eye popped out, looked around, and then shrunk back into the monster.

Link glared at Gyorg, noting that its head was a metallic gray, _"Most likely some form of protection…but I'm sure the body is still vulnerable"_.

"All right then," he heard Ruto call out, "Looks like this is up to us!" She charged forward, leading the Zora to the waterfront.

Link moved to join the group, but stopped when he saw the water in front of the temple, next the Ruto, a ripple, then water started to rise from the surface.

Link sprinted full force, "Watch out!" he yelled, as a tentacle started to form from the water's surface. He leapt forward, shoving Ruto out of the way.

Ruto landed with a grunt, "Ah!" she spun around, "Wha-Mikau!" she screamed as a tentacle of water wrapped around the Zora's leg. To her horror, he was quickly pulled under the water's surface. Before anyone could blink, Ruto rushed to water, diving in after him.

Luka cursed, "For the love of Nayru!" He turned to the Zora, "You six," he pointed to those furthest away, "assist the Hylians and Gorons with that fish! The rest of you," he turned around, "With me!"

With that, five Zora dove into the water, while six others ran to meet with the rest of the army.

 **Line Break**

Link struggled as Morpha's watery tentacle wrapped tighter around his body. The tentacle responded to his struggles by slamming him into a wall, then picking up its speed, dragging him through a crack in the floor.

After a moment, he finally came face to face with the monster's nucleus.

He stilled, _"By Din…it's massive!"_

When Link had first faced Morpha, its core was about the size of his head. This time, Morpha's red core was about the size of a King Dodongo's head.

Link resumed his struggles with fervor, but to no avail.

He then mentally slapped his forehead, and let loose a blast of electricity.

The tentacle spasmed, quickly releasing Link, who righted himself, glaring at the orb that was the true monster. He then pulled out his hookshot, aimed, and fired for the red center.

By then, however, Morpha had regained its senses; water swirled around its soft core, forcing the hook to bounce away.

Link scowled, circling the orb, dodging the occasional spear of water sent his way. A light then went off in his head, and he charged electricity up his arms, and then rushed for the sphere. He shoved his arms forward, smirking when the sphere shuddered. He was forced to move, however, when it formed another tentacle, intent on swatting him away.

With a growl, Link pushed off the sphere.

"Mikau!" Link whirled around at Ruto's voice

Link swam towards her, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Ruto panted, "I swam as fast as I could," she looked him over, "Are you okay?"

Link nodded, then frowned, as he remembered what happened the last time Ruto tried to face this monster, "I'm fine, but you should get out of here".

Ruto scowled, "What?"

"This is going to get rough-!" he then shoved her away, dodging a spear of water. He gestured to the now-retracting weapon, "See? You need to get somewhere safe".

Ruto's scowl deepened, "I can," she twirled out of the way of another strike, "take care of myself!"

Link groaned, "I don't doubt that," he dodged another tentacle, retaliating by throwing electrically-charged fins at the sphere, "But your help isn't needed".

Ruto's eyes widened, before she swan up to the Zora, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. "Listen buddy! I'm not some helpless little girl," Link fought the urge to smirk, "I can take care of myself!"

Link sighed, and then grabbed Ruto by her shoulders. "Listen to me," he formed a barrier of electricity around them, warding Morpha off, "I know that you can take care of yourself, I've seen you do so. But you're also Princess of the Zora—regardless of the era. And I doubt I'd be a particularly good subject if I allowed you to enter a situation where any harm could befall you. So please, let me keep you safe".

Ruto stared into Mikau's eyes when he started his speech, but quickly averted his gaze, hoping she wasn't blushing under his intense gaze.

"Princess Ruto!"

Link hung his head, "For the love of…" he let go of Ruto, "Just, help out the Hylians and Gorons with that giant fish," he sent her a small smirk, "Promise me?"

Before Ruto could respond, he swam away, creating an electric barrier, and ramming into Morpha.

"Princess!" Ruto turned to face Luka and the Zora he brought, "Are you well?"

Ruto nodded, "Yes, Luka, I'm fine". She sighed heavily, glaring at the odd Zora, who was expertly maneuvering through the monster's attacks. She titled her head back, frowning as she noticed a large crack in the ceiling, along with several large gears. A light went off in her head. She started to swim upwards, "C'mon," she said.

One of the Zora frowned, "What are you planning?"

Ruto smirked, "I'm going to show up that well-meaning jerk".

 **Line Break**

Link flipped through the water to dodge a trio of spikes sent his way. He glared at his foe, before looking down at his fins, and then went back to glaring at Morpha, rather, the barrier around Morpha.

He twirled out of the way of a tentacle, charging up electricity in his arms once more. He drew his arms in, and then shot them out, electricity crackling around them.

He shot forward after a second, arms outstretched. He dodged out of the way of a tentacle, and then grabbed it, forcing electricity through the limb. The monster shuddered, and shakily formed another tentacle to slap him away.

Then his fins cut through the weak barrier like butter, slicing through Morpha's core.

Link smirked as his fins reattached to his arms, shooting forward though the still broken barrier.

With a wide smirk, he bear-hugged the core, blasting electricity through his entire body.

The core shuddered and struggled, trying in vain to squeeze out of his grip.

Then, to Link's immense frustration, he felt something wrap around his ankles. He looked down to see a pair of tentacles, and scowled.

He bit back a yell as he was jerked backward, but was forced to let out a low groan as another tentacle quickly slammed into his chest. He then cried out as he was slammed into the floor.

Link blinked away the pain, letting out a blast of magic to ward off the monster before swimming back up.

He glared at Morpha, and—he could swear—Morpha glared back.

A loud clank reverberated through the room, followed by the sound of metal groaning.

Water started to drain out of the room.

Morpha was still for a moment, before it rushed from wall-to-wall, looking for a way out.

Link set his face in a thin line as he heard several people swim down to meet him.

He looked over his shoulder, "I thought I told you to get out of here?"

Ruto smirked, placing her hands on her hips, "You did, but it looked like you needed help".

By then, the water had drained from more than half of the room, and Morpha had not given up its feeble hope of escape.

Link gave Luka a look, "…You're a terrible guard".

Luka tightened his grip on his weapon, but before he could retort, Link swam upwards, pulling out his hookshot, "Just...get ready to attack".

Link aimed carefully, eyeing the giant red sphere. The hookshot shot forward, and when it attached to the fleshy monster, Link sank back down towards the group of Zora.

Ruto sent blades of water to their foe, while her guards favored a more upfront approach. The ball tried to escape, but Link kept a firm grip on it via his hookshot.

Luka was the one to finish the beast, stabbing his spear deep into Morpha. The monster stilled, then split apart off of the spear, melting into red goo.

Ruto smirked at Link, "And how long do you think it would have taken _you_ on your own".

Link stared blankly at Ruto, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Tell me something," he said evenly, "How did _you_ plan to get out of here?"

Ruto's (and her guards) eyes widened. They looked around the room, noting that the only exit was a hole in the ceiling, which was no longer accessible, thanks to all the water draining out.

Ruto gulped, "Um, well…"

Link pulled out his guitar with a heavy sigh, "You guys are lucky I'm here". He quickly played two chords, and as the last note echoed away, water started to rush back into the room.

He put away his guitar, sitting down on the floor, "And now we wait".

 **Line Break**

"Aim!" Zelda yelled as she and several dozen soldiers knocked their bows, "Fire!"

The sound of bowstrings snapping forward reverberated through the air. Arrows rained down on the giant red fish, but to Zelda's mounting frustration, the monster dove further down, avoiding the projectiles. It then bobbed back up, and she could swear it was grinning.

With a scowl, Zelda issued the order to aim once more, but was forced to scatter as the beast opened its maw, shooting giant bullets of water at her and her forces. The monster then quickly spun around, forcing the Zora who had hoped to close in on it to back away.

Darunia—who, like the rest of the Gorons, stood as far away from the coastline as possible—scowled as he stared at the giant red fish, _"I think Link said its name was Gorga, no, Gyorg_ ".

Darunia shifted his gaze to the Hylians, specially, their weapons. He remembered his Hylian brother telling him that, by far, magic was his greatest offensive asset during his travels.

He turned to the princess. He knew she could use magic, but the problem was that Gyorg refused to stay still.

At that moment, he spotted a Hylian medic from the corner of his eyes, pulling out various items from his pack: potions…herbs…rope.

Darunia's face split into a wide grin.

By the coast, Impa scowled as she knocked another arrow. The beast was proving far too maneuverable.

"Move aside!" she heard someone bellow.

Impa looked over her shoulder, then quickly jumped to the side when she a dozen Gorons rushing forward. Darunia, she noted, lead the charge. She also saw that they all had rope bundles up in their arms.

Impa grinned widely.

They all stopped a few feet from the water, "Ready?" Darunia called out.

The Gorons all yelled in affirmation.

"Tie that fish up!"

As one, the Gorons threw their ropes forward. They all hit their target, the Gorons quickly pulling back to tighten the knots on the monster's various facial protrusions.

Darunia grit his teeth, "Come on, brothers! Pull with all your might!"

With a giant roar, the Gorons began to step back, slowly pulling the struggling fish to the surface.

Darunia turned to look at Impa, "You might want to shoot this thing now," the fish bucked, forcing a few Gorons forward. "And use magic!"

Impa nodded. "Princess!" the Sheikah called out, "Try magic!"

Across the line of Gorons, Zelda nodded. She nocked an arrow, imbuing it with holy light. She let the arrow fly, right into the monster's flank.

Magic coursed over the monster's body, forcing its jaw open, its massive, inner eye falling out.

With a smirk, Zelda ordered her soldiers to fire on the eye, while the nearby Zora closed in on it, striking it swiftly and with impunity.

After several long, painful seconds, the monster regained its senses, pulling its eye back into its body.

It thrashed in the water, forcing the Zora to swim away. It's thrashing had the added affect of knocking a few Gorons off balance, losing their ropes, thereby allow the monster to pull the remaining Gorons forward by a few feet.

Darunia scowled, and put his rope between his teeth. He then scrambled sideways, grabbing a few strands of rope that fell from his brothers' hands.

He got up just in time to see and his remaining brothers standing at the edge of the water.

He also noticed that the ropes were sinking straight down.

He grimaced.

Gyorg shot upwards, roaring as it breached the surface. The fish moved with enough force to actually lift the Gorons off of the ground, causing them to panic and let go of the remaining ropes.

All but Darunia, that is.

Darunia cried out in alarm as the monster fell back into the water, and then started to swim away, pulling the Goron chief behind him, skipping along the surface of the water.

 **Line Break**

Link bobbed to the surface just ahead of the other Zora, idly noting the Hylian army fighting Gyorg. He winced, gingerly patting his ribs. Nothing felt broken. But it would bruise quite a bit. He sighed, _"It doesn't sound too bad, though. I should be able to take a minute or two to rest"._

"WAAAGH!"

Link whipped his head around at the sound, eyes widening at the sight of Darunia trailing behind Gyorg as the fish sped away.

Ruto popped up just behind him. She saw the fish, "Huh, wonder wh-" she then saw something trail behind it, "What's—bwah!"

Ruto spluttered, wiping water off of her face. When she cleared her face, she stared in shock at the sheer distance Link covered in just a few seconds.

 **Line Break**

Darunia had given up screaming after the initial shock wore off. Instead, he was focusing on keeping a firm grip on the ropes hanging off of Gyorg.

He grunted as he skipped across the water on his belly, before twisting in the air, his feet skirting across the water.

He glared at Gyorg; _"I guess I should be happy that it hasn't dragged me under…not that that would be a problem all things considered"_.

He rolled his shoulders, _"Might as well try and grab the thing,_ " he started to pull himself forward, _"Figure things out from there"_.

As he slowly inched his way forward, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. However, before he could get a better view that something slammed into Gyorg, sending it sprawling.

Darunia, by extension, went flying as the rope he was holding onto cracked like a whip. Thankfully, Darunia noticed, he was sent flying onto land.

He curled himself into a ball, creating a gash in the ground as he crashed. With a low groan, Darunia stood back up, shaking dirt off of his head.

He looked over at the water, to see Gyorg and a Zora (who Darunia was all but certain he knew). He then saw that the monster still had a few lengths of rope attached to it.

He cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hey!" he called out.

The Zora didn't say anything, but jumped out of the water, doing a little flip. Darunia assumed the best, "Get me those ropes". Another flip.

Darunia let out a breath as the Zora backed away from Gyorg. The Zora then proceeded to…taunt the monster. Darting in and out of reach. Smacking its facemask with his fins, even stabbing it in its eyes—which, unfortunately, didn't seem to do anything other than aggravate it.

Eventually, Gyorg tired of their game. It spun around, forcing the Zora to back away. Gyorg then straightened itself, shuddered, and shot for the Zora.

Then, in a show of speed and agility, the Zora weaved around the monster, sending it crashing into the shore.

As the monster was dazed, the Zora jumped out of the water, bringing the ropes with him. He dropped the ropes in front of Darunia, and then dove underwater once more.

Acting quickly, Darunia grabbed the ropes with both hands, and pulled.

Gyorg broke from its haze, followed the taut ropes pulling against it, and glared at Darunia.

Before it could retaliate, however, something slammed into it from below, sending it upwards. This gave Darunia the boost he needed.

With a mighty roar, Darunia heaved, stepping backwards as he did so. The monster soared overhead, briefly, before Darunia turned on his heel, harshly bringing the fish crashing to the ground.

Gyorg roared in pain, its large, internal eye popping out from its jaw.

Darunia dropped the ropes, summoning his hammer in his hands in a brilliant show of fire. He sprinted for the downed monster.

The Zora, however, beat him to it. He flew out of the water, soaring over Darunia. With a mighty yell, he dropped down on Gyorg's eye, sinking his both fins into it, then sending electricity though them.

The monster spasmed greatly, and started to flop weakly. Before it could pick up its movements, however, Darunia ran up and slammed his hammer onto its tailfin, ignoring the shocks running though his body.

Soon after, the beast stilled. Darunia and the Zora stopped their assault, and then quickly backed away when its body started to swell up.

Gyorg then exploded into purple smoke, a mask of its face its sole remains.

Darunia hefted his hammer on his shoulder with a sigh, eyeing the Zora as he picked up the mask, stilling slightly.

 **Line Break**

Link blinked as he found himself in the same place where he met Lanayru; as before, an orb of light rose from the lake in front of him.

A beast formed under the orb. It stood on all fours, with a long snout, and a long, wide tail. A massive horn grew from its head, parting around the orb, and rejoining just above it.

Ordona bowed to Link, " **Thank you for freeing me from my shackles, Hero of Time** ".

Link bowed in return, "It was my pleasure, Ordona".

The Light Spirit turned its head, " **I know you freed one of my siblings, but they are not here** ".

"Yes. I asked Lanayru to travel to Termina and see if the four giants would be willing to assist us".

Ordona gazed skyward, " **A wise decision, especially in light of recent events** ".

Link crossed his arms over his chest, "Yes, these 'Gates of Souls' are very troubling".

Ordona shook its head, " **That as well, but I speak of Majora** ," Link's eyes narrowed, a scowl creeping up on his face, " **The demon, from what I last saw, was…panicking. It fortified my and my fellow spirits' cages, as you no doubt saw** ".

Link grinned, "It was still vulnerable to magic".

Ordona grinned (as well as it could), " **I've no doubt you will do whatever it takes to free my remaining silbings** ". Ordona bowed once more, " **Farewell, Hero"**.

And the world dissolved into white.

 **Line Break**

Link let out a sigh, quickly putting the remains into his satchel.

"Do you think it's a good idea to carry that around?"

Link plastered a cocky smirk on his face, turning to the Goron Chief "Ah, c'mon man, it's a great souvenir! A weird mask from a strange being!"

Darunia smirked, crossing his arms, "True, but you already have a few of those, don't you?"

The smirk faltered, "I don't—"

"Oh, I'm sure you do, Darmani," Darunia snapped his fingers, "Oh, wait, this one is Mikau isn't it?"

Link and Darunia stared at each other for several, long seconds.

Then, with a sigh, Link brought a hand to his face, "Should've guessed I couldn't hide this from you, huh?" He took of the mask.

Darunia smirked as Link was enveloped in a harsh light, "Considering how many stories you've told? No, you could not". After the light diminished, the Goron's eyes widened considerably. "…You're tiny," he said, stepping forward.

Link frowned, "Yeah…I honestly have no idea why".

Darunia shrugged, "Hmm…well, it certainly makes this easier".

Before Link could ask 'what?' Darunia swept the adult-in-a-child's-body into his arms, doing a dance as he spun the Hylian in the air.

"HAHA!" Darunia bellowed, smiling widely, "It is good to see you brother!"

Link (after shaking the initial bewilderment) smiled widely as well, "It's good to see you too, brother".

"Ah! With you here, beating the sorceress will be a snaaahh…"Darunia slowed down, beginning to wobble.

Link frowned, "Darunia?" he wriggled free from the Goron's grasp, "Are you okay?"

Darunia had stopped spinning, and was now swaying in place, clutching his head. He groaned lowly, falling forward.

Link backflipped away as Darunia landed with a _crash_.

Link grimaced as he pulled out his Great Fairy mask, "I hope someone's nearby".

 **A/N: This is done. Finally. Took a lot longer than I thought, but that was mainly due to me changing where I wanted it to end. Ended up at a little less than seven thousand words; hopefully they're entertaining words. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Brotherly Love

 **The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Darunia groaned; frowning as he discovered his field of vision was nothing but darkness.

He then scrunched his eyes, and realized they were just closed. He opened them slightly, but his vision was blurry.

"…-e's going to be fine, nothing is physically wrong with him," Darunia frowned at the high-pitched, bell-like voice.

"You're sure?" the Goron's frown deepened at the familiar, child-like voice. He turned to face it, vision clearing as he did so.

"You see," the higher-pitched voice, which Darunia saw belonged to a pink fairy, gleefully stated. The orb bobbed lightly, "I told you he would be fine!"

Link smiled, "Yeah," he turned to Darunia, "How are you feeling?"

Darunia smiled in turn, but before he said anything, a wave of nausea overtook him. With a low groan, Darunia brought a hand to his forehead, bent low on the ground, as his mind was assaulted with a jumbled mess images and memories.

Link and the fairy immediately went to the Goron's side, "Ok, in my defense," the fairy said, "I've never worked with Gorons".

"Quiet," Link snapped.

Darunia twitched as the muddled pieces bouncing around his brain started to fit together.

After a long moment, he lifted his head up, peering at his brother. "…I remember…"

Link cocked a brow, "Remember what?"

"Another, another time…Ganondorf taking the Triforce," Link's eyes widened considerably, "pillaging Hyrule for seven years, before you came back. ".

All three were silent after that.

"All right," the fairy suddenly stated, "I'm out. I didn't sign up for time-space shenanigans".

Link nodded, "Fair enough".

"Thank you for your help," Darunia continued.

The fairy didn't reply, merely bobbing in the air, before floating away.

"So," Link began, "What, exactly, do you emember?"

Darunia dropped his head into his hands, "Everything," his voice cracked, "I had a son".

Link frowned, "Yes…he was a brave boy, despite all that had happened".

A sad smile grew on Darunia's face, "He did his best to follow in your footsteps," he chuckled softly, "I had to drag him out of Dodongo Cavern more times that I could count".

Link knelt down, placing a hand on Darunia's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Darunia let out a breath, leaning back, "…I don't know…I have two sets of memories". He stared blankly at the ground, "I remember the despair that came when I found out you disappeared after Ganondorf's attack on Hyrule castle. The dread that at any moment, my people might be eradicated…I can feel Volvagia's hot breath running down my spine," he shuddered, "claws closing around my throat".

Link grimaced, and made to comfort the hulking Goron, "But," Link stilled. Darunia smiled wistfully, "I remember the joy of seeing my son grow into a strong young Goron, the elation when I realized my calling as the Sage of Fire. Pride in having a hand in banishing Ganondorf. And relief, that my son might grow old in a peaceful world". The Goron Chief lifted his head, wiping his eyes, "I-I'll make it".

Link arched a brow, "Are you sure? I'm sure the Fairy Queen can do something about it".

Darunia nodded, "Positi—wait," he blinked, "you know the Fairy Queen?"

Link sighed, plopping down the ground, "Yeah…Let me start from the beginning".

Darunia listened with rapt attention as Link told his tale, frowning and laughing when appropriate.

When Link finished, Darunia scratched his chin. "…You're positive these Light Spirits can help against Majora?"

Link shrugged, "Yeah…though I did ask them to check and see if we can get any assistance from Termina".

"Right, those guardian Giants," Darunia frowned heavily, "Hold on…Where were these Light Spirits when Ganondorf took over!"

Link hummed, "As far as I can tell, they only interfere when things get bad between our dimension and the Twilight realm".

"The what realm?"

Link waved an arm, "That's a completely separate topic," he looked Darunia in the eyes, "All that matters is that they are here now".

"Whatever," Darunia looked around, "Hey, where's this era's Impa and the army?"

"On the other side of the lake," Link gestured.

Darunia peered, barely noticing a massive blob of movement, "Wow…Lake Hylia is bigger than I remember".

"Yeah…the geography of Hyrule tends to change era to era".

"Weird," Darunia stood up, "But I guess it doesn't matter in the long run".

Link snorted, "Easy for you to say. You aren't traveling the land looking for ancient spirits sealed in masks".

Darunia grunted, "No, I'm just traveling the land helping end a tyrannical sorceress's reign of terror".

"Wouldn't really call it a reign," Link muttered, as he started to head for the Hylian army, "Hasn't even been two months".

"Bah," Darunia snorted as he followed, "semantics".

The two travelled in comfortable silence after that, reveling in the cool breeze.

"I am curious though," Darunia turned to his 'young' brother, "From when were you taken?"

Darunia frowned, tapping his chin, "Good question…Ruto had just celebrated her twentieth birthday".

Link clicked his tongue, "That doesn't help".

"Why not, you two are fri-" Darunia paused, eyeing the Hylian, "No…you're not friends in our true time, are you?"

Link shook his head, "No…After I returned, I only saw Ruto the one time I entered Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly".

Darunia scrunched his face in thought, "But why? She certainly spoke fondly of you, in the old time, that is".

Link sighed deeply, standing in place. He wrung his hands as Darunia stopped to face him, "…It's complicated…what do you remember of Navi?"

Darunia frowned at the sudden change in topic, "Uh, she was your constant companion, right?"

Link smiled wistfully, "That is correct. Right up until she left".

Darunia stared in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Another sigh, "After our Princess Zelda sent me back in time, to before Ganondorf took over, Navi…she just flew away. I don't know why," Link preemptively cut off the Goron, "And I never found out".

Darunia stepped forward, squatting down to pat Link on the shoulder.

Link then shook his head clear, gently moving out of the Goron's reach, "Right, Ruto". He cleared his throat, "After I informed the King of Ganondorf's crimes, I realized that the curses he placed on Death Mountain and Zora's domain were still in effect. I went to the Zora first—less hoops to go through with them, much more reasonable".

Darunia blushed under the young man's pointed stare.

"Now, I will admit, Ruto is a very nice woman. But she was also a very petulant child".

Darunia nodded, remembering previous visits with the Zora royalty, "Yes, she certainly was".

"Coupled with the fact that I was still reeling from Navi's sudden departure," he slumped his shoulders; "…I knocked her out with some Deku nuts and carried her to her father, before defeating the curse".

Darunia stared blankly at Link, "…Well…that's…something".

Link grimaced, "Yeah".

"And you never met again?"

Link shrugged, "I never had the opportunity".

"Never?" Darunia asked skeptically.

"Zora aren't all that fond of milk".

Darunia chuckled at that.

Link allowed himself a small smile, "Moving on…any other event you can think of?"

Darunia hummed in thought, rapping his knuckles against his head, "Uh…about a month ago you asked for a hunk of gold and some precious stones".

"Oh!" Link smiled warmly, and began to walk once more, "I know exactly when now".

Darunia marched forward as well, "Say, what did you need that stuff for anyway? All you said was 'Keep this a secret from everyone'".

Link chuckled, "You'll find out when you get back, friend".

"That's too long a wait," Darunia grumbled good-naturedly.

Link just laughed.

 **Line Break**

Darunia arched his back as he finished the climb atop a large hill overlooking the Hylian camp. "You know," he said as he stretched some more, "I'm a little sad".

Link arched a brow, leaning against a tree, "How so?"

"We won't get another chance to fight side-by-side".

Link smirked, "Considering what I'm going up against, that might be for the best".

Darunia opened his mouth, before snapping it shut, "…Fair enough".

Link smiled, pulling out his Deku mask and slipping it on.

Darunia smiled, "See you ar—what in the world?"

Link spread his arms spinning in place to show off his upgraded form, "I paid a visit to the Great Deku Tree".

Darunia eyed the tall Hylian-turned-Deku, "…Neat".

"I agree," Link then stepped forward, wrapping the Goron in a hug, "See you around".

Darunia reciprocated the gesture (eliciting the sound of cracking wood from his friend). "Take care of yourself". He set the transformed Hylian down. "And be sure to find me before you confront Majora. I want to be there to cheer you on!"

Link grinned (as well as a Deku could), "Of course". He then summoned his Deku spear into his hands, stepping backwards, "Farewell". Link sunk into the tree, disappearing without a sound.

With a hearty sigh, Darunia turned away from the tree, facing the camp. A smile wormed its way onto his face, and he sat down, curling into a ball.

 **Line Break**

Impa scowled, "There's no sign of either of them?"

Luka shook his head, "Neither them, nor that monstrous fish".

"…aaaAAAHHH!"

Impa, Luka, and a handful of other soldiers quickly exited the tent, readying their weapons.

Impa idly noted Zelda and Ruto appear next to her, focusing on where the screaming was coming from. It only took a few seconds to identify the source as a large, round, brown rock.

The rock then leapt high in the air. Impa barked out a quick order to step back, just as the rock crashed into the ground, kicking up a vast amount of dirt.

Impa coughed, waving dust away.

"Oh man!" she heard Darunia say as he uncurled, "I need to do that more often, really loosens up the spine".

"Chief!" several Gorons cried out before they all crowded around him.

Impa heard Ruto sigh irritably, "He's like a child". Then the Zora princess gasped, and marched over to the Goron.

Darunia noticed the Zora, and smiled brightly, waving to her, "Ruto! How's it going?"

Ruto smiled at her friend's exuberance, "I'm fine. But," her smile morphed into a small frown, "how are you here? And where is Mikau?"

Darunia frowned, "Ah, him". He then shrugged, "Well, we killed that fish".

A nearby Goron gasped, "How, brother?"

Darunia smirked, patting his bicep, "With good old fashioned strength!" Cheers erupted around him, "And Zora magic, I will admit".

"Well," Ruto tapped her foot, "Where is Mikau now?"

Darunia, after a brief pause, shrugged, "Don't know".

Ruto furrowed her brow, "What do you mean?"

"After he made sure I was alright, he left".

Ruto's face fell as she backed up slightly, "H-he just left?" she softly asked.

Princess Zelda chose that moment to move forward. Bowing lightly, she said, "It is nice to finally meet you, Chief Darunia".

Darunia grinned widely, "Princess!" he walked over, clasping her hands in his own, giving them a gentle (for a Goron) shake. "It's great to finally meet you too! Hey," he released her hands (not noticing her silently flew her fingers) peering at her tiara, "Cool crown…where'd you find a stone that big?"

He then saw Ruto's deflated form out of the corner of his eye, and he felt pity well up in his heart. With a sigh, he moved towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder. He smiled as she lifted her head up, "He's a fine warrior, busy doing his part to save the land…you'll see again him sooner than you'd think, so chin up".

Ruto's lips twitched upward, before she set her face into a glower. She quickly turned her nose up, crossing her arms over her chest. "W-what are you insinuating!" Darunia stifled a chuckle as he saw her cheeks flush, "I'm just annoyed that such a good soldier up and left".

Darunia smiled broadly, "Of course".

 **A/N: Next time, we look into how Linkle is handling her lot in life. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


End file.
